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Amateur Circus Life 



A new method of physical de- 
velopment for Boys and Girls 

Based on The Ten Elements of Simple 
Tumbling and adapted from the prac- 
tice of professional acrobats 



BY 

ERNEST BALCH 



N^m fork 

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1916 

All rights reserved 



6 



Copyright, 1916. 
By the MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Set up and electrotyped. Published, November, 1916. 



iii 



rE 



NOV 16 1916 



^CU446628 



The illustrations in this book are prepared from photo- 
graphs of boy amateurs taught in classes by this method 
of physical training. My thanks are due to them, to the 
Cloyne House School, Newport, St. Thomas Chapel 
Gymnasium and the Madison Square Church House 
Gymnasium, New York City. 

This book is written for the comfort and aid of boys 
and girls of twelve to sixteen and of their older friends 
who are interested in their development. 

The Author. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I Tumbling i 

II Health, Strength, Grace .... 3 

III The Ten Elements of Simple Tumbling 8 

IV Preparation for a Show 36 

V A Show at a Boarding School ... 6a 

VI Costumes and Discipline . . . .71 

VII Clown Work 78 

VIII Fake Elephant. Fake Lion Act. 

Thrillers 88 

IX Training Animals 99 

X The Old-Fashioned Minstrel Show . 107 

XI Costs and Charges 129 

XII Sleeping Out of Doors 134 

XIII For the Instructor 144 

XIV For Parents 162 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



The Curtain Rises Frontispiece • " 

FACING 
FIGURE PAGE 

1. Salute No. i 12 ^ 

2. Practising the Roll. Salute No. 2 . . 13 

3. Headstands 14 

4. Bridge and Handstand 14 

5. Middle Position in Cartwheels . . . 15 • 

6. The Wheelbarrow 18^ 

7. 8 AND 9. The 2-High Fall 19 

10. The Method of Teaching a Bender Used 

BY Archange Tuccaro 19 

11. Pyramid. Adoration 24^ 

12. Pyramid. Path to the Stars . . . . 25 "^^ 

13. Diving 28^ 

14. A Star Diver Landing on the Mat Just 

Before He Ducks His Head and Rolls . 29 ' " 

15. Hoops. No. 2 Salute 30 ' 

16. Planche 32V 

17. 18, 19 and 20. Practise Throws . . . 33 "^z 

21. Double Walk 33 

22. Double Roll 46'' 

23. Easy Pyramid 47 ^''^ 

24. Table and Chair Act. Forward Fall . 50^' 

25. Table and Chair Act 51^ 

26. Way to Shape a Clown Costume . . . 76"^ / 

27. Clown Ruffs. Pair of Hoops .... 76 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



FIGURE 

28. Elephant 
Eyes 



Hook. Sample Buttons for 



Dead Man 77 



76 

29 and 30. Easy Pyramids 77 

31. 
32. 

37, 



77 
84 
85 



Practising Handbalance on a Chair 

34, 35 AND 36. The Reader . 

38 and 39. Clown Act with Chair 
40, 41, 42 and 43. Hypnotism 
44 and 45. Hypnotism 

46. The Serenade (Encore) 

47. Director E. C. Ostein and a Tum- 

bling Class in a New York City 
Gymnasium . 

48. 49, 50 AND 51. Floor Rolls 96 

52 AND 53. Advanced Work 97 

54, 55 AND 56. The Winter Camp . . . .136 
57 AND 58. Advanced Work 137 



BETWEEN 
•PAGES 

86, 87 



FACING 
PAGE 



AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 



AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

CHAPTER I 

TUMBLING 

Tumbling is known to have great value for 
physical development. It is the best basis of 
all gymnastics. Occasionally it is taught to 
advanced amateurs — or attempts at teaching it 
are made. But it is never taught systematically, 
for no system has yet been devised to adapt 
tumbling practically for the use of amateurs. 

The chief mistake consists in trying to teach 
to beginners one of the most dangerous of all 
tumbling tricks, the somersault in the air, or 
'air-turn' as it is called. To learn this one 
must have an exceptional teacher, must have 
a muscular development quite uncommon 
among pupils of 12-16, and must practise un- 
remittingly. Such conditions are very rare 
indeed. 

The fine art of tumbling is generally at- 



2 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

tempted in the wrong way and is hardly ever 
taught to the boys and girls of 12-16 who 
would most benefit by it. 

What is needed is a system of simple tum- 
bling which can be taught in classes by people 
who are not acrobats, which will delight the 
pupil, will be progressive in its various feats, 
and sufficiently difficult to remain interesting 
for two or three years. At the end of this 
period the pupil can go on to advanced tum- 
bling, or better still, if there be opportunity, to 
fine competitive athletics. 

Since Archange Tuccaro wrote, I find no 
one who has discussed the philosophy of this 
method of developing the body. Therefore 
this book is written. It proposes to employ 
the simpler movements of tumbling, system- 
atise them, arrange them for classes, and so 
utilise the deep interest of boys and girls in 
the circus, the vaudeville stage — in a word, 
the acrobatic art — as an impelling force, that 
they will joyfully endure the tedious and pro- 
longed practice which develops perfect bodies. 



CHAPTER II 

HEALTH, STRENGTH, GRACE 

Every one desires to be well, strong, and 
graceful. Every one understands more or less 
clearly that one is more likely to reach the best 
in life if he or she is well, strong, and graceful. 
The point is to become so, not simply to talk 
about it. 

People between twelve and sixteen years 
old as a rule have the time and opportunity to 
get strength, health, and grace; at least they 
have the time to do what this book will tell you 
to do. Some of them have the opportunity to 
play many games and get a little calisthenics 
or drill. But very few have the time to play 
enough games to obtain the best results. So 
this book is written to explain how the many, 
who lack time and games enough, may get the 
best of health, strength, and grace and mean- 
while have the good time which helps to make 

3 



4 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

up for the tedious work, patience, and courage 
needed. 

The delightful experience of taking part in 
a good successful show is worth a lot of prac- 
tise, especially if one feels that strength and 
grace are coming steadily. 

Health, generally speaking, is the result 
of the exercises one must practise in order 
to get strength and grace. Or as an 
instructor might put it, strength comes from 
the proper development of the muscles and 
grace from the efficient control of the muscles 
by the nerves and brain. It is not nec- 
essary between twelve and sixteen to bother 
much with the theory of all this, only to fix 
one's mind and will upon a steady daily 
practise of these ten elements about to be de- 
scribed. If in addition to this you get a little 
calisthenics or drill every day in school and a 
fair amount of games, in a year or two you wall 
find that you have health, strength, and grace. 
With these precious possessions everything you 
wish to do in life will be just so much easier. 
Good dancing, star tennis, good work in. 
school, fine quick work in an office, shop, or 



HEALTH, STRENGTH, GRACE 5 

factory; in short, efficiency — all the things 
which are so very desirable, will be so much 
the easier to attain. 

It is a common idea that the best muscles 
are hard, bulky muscles. This is not true. 
For a boy or girl the most valuable kind of 
muscle is soft when flexed. What is needed is 
strong quickly responsive muscle, and this 
means soft muscles when flexed — hard when 
contracted. Heavy work produces slow hard 
muscles. Sandow acquired a very fine devel- 
opment starting with a not very wonderful 
body. He did it by light work. His muscles 
flexed were very soft. By endless practice and 
patience and much time spent he had acquired 
an unusual control of them. I was much im- 
pressed to see him call the name and bunch up 
a muscle of the back that most of us do not 
know by name and have no separate control 
of. 

Also, a common difficulty with boys who 
stick too much to heavy work or calisthenics is 
that their muscles "go dead," become stale. 
You see this also with professional acrobats 
who are ignorant and practise too much; or 



6 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

boxers who do not train intelligently. The 
boy or girl at fourteen should be full of life, 
quick in all movements. Instructors have to 
look out for this. I have always found it best 
to practise simple tumbling about an hour not 
more than six times a week, if possible not 
more than once a day, and to rest two full days 
before a show. 

When you see the perfect grace of a good 
trapeze performer, remember that it results 
from instantaneous or, better said, perfect con- 
trol of the muscles by the brain and nerves, 
and that such grace may be yours if you will 
pay the same price of steady, conscientious 
practise of the ten elements of simple tum- 
bling. 

Now there is no such thing as an impromptu 
on the stage or in the circus. 

Amateurs who try to do something on the 
spur of the moment simply make fools of 
themselves and bore their audience. Either 
you know your act or you do not. 

If you know it, you can do it at any time. 
To know your act means to know every little 
turn so that you can always do each movement 



HEALTH, STRENGTH, GRACE 7 

properly, smile at the right time, and make 
your points. 

In the 'Tath to the Stars," for instance (see 
illustration 12), the Topmounter — that is, the 
boy at the top of the pyramid — must walk up 
erect with a gallant air. 

If he goes up on his hands and feet he looks 
like a monkey and spoils the picture. When 
on the Understander's shoulders, he must be 
firmly held or he cannot do his work. All the 
staircase must stand solidly. So it is and must 
be with anything you wish to present before 
an audience. It is necessary to learn it prop- 
erly and thoroughly. 

Therefore the best way is to really master 
the ten elements at the beginning, although I 
will here make the exception that a good show 
can be given before any member of the class 
has learned the front and back handspring. 



CHAPTER III 

THE TEN ELEMENTS OF SIMPLE TUMBLING 

We cannot in this world do anything much 
worth doing without some tedious study and 
work. Into this chapter I will put all the 
study and work that is required. Get it thor- 
oughly and all the rest will be interesting and 
delightful. If you do not learn it thoroughly 
you will not succeed in what you wish to do. 
All of these directions are put in for a good 
reason and nothing is here written which it is 
unnecessary to learn. The best way to learn 
these elements is to master one or two at a time 
and get some one to tell you, if you are not 
fortunate enough to have an instructor, 
whether or not you do each thing properly. 

The last — the handsprings — you will hardly 

learn without an instructor. Two working 

together can sufficiently help each other on 

the other nine elements. Remember that 

daily practise of simple tumbling for about an 

8 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 9 

hour, five and not more than six times a week, 
is what you need and the price you must pay 
supposing that you are enthusiastic and deter- 
mined to achieve a splendidly developed body. 
As I have said, there is rarely time enough to 
do this by playing games. That becomes clear 
as one grows older. Apparatus work amounts 
to little before sixteen and calisthenics can be 
taken only in limited quantities. Once the 
boy or girl of 12-16 obtains a good develop- 
ment these things are all fine, but before the 
development comes they are not very practical. 
Simple tumbling you can begin at ten, and it 
will quickly bring the development you need 
for other things. 

As far as I know, there is no good book on 
tumbling for boys. All that I have seen de- 
sire the learner to master back and front hand- 
springs, and, above all, the air-turns — back, 
front, full- and half-twisters. Very good if 
you are to be a professional and have the time 
to practise; but how many boys who work or 
go to school can give the necessary three hours 
a day and command the instruction of a good 
acrobat while practising? In no other way 



lo AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

can you learn these hard tricks. Also, on ac- 
count of the danger, it is foolish to try air-turns 
unless, besides having the required time and 
supervision, you are old enough to be very 
careful. Nearly all the accidents among pro- 
fessionals, careful as they are, come from air- 
turns. A little slip or balk, and there is a 
broken leg or worse. So for boys who have 
little time to practise, it is better to cut out air- 
turns altogether. Leave air-turns alone until 
you get to college, and master these other tricks 
I am going to tell you about. For they are not 
risky and will enable you to give as pretty a 
show as you like. 

The best way to practise a class is to form 
them in line according to size, the smallest 
first, and bring each on the mat in turn to try 
the trick. A class is best composed of two 
little boys for Topmounters, two big boys for 
Understanders and four medium sized for 
other parts, and the same is true for a class of 
girls. 

If there are too many in the line, it takes too 
long a time to get around and each is standing 
still too long. Eight more or less green boys 



THE TEN ELEMENTS ii 

is the right number — ten when they are well 
broken in — and when the class has been trained 
a while, you can work two classes side by 
side. 

The first thing to do, as the class practises, is 
to settle upon the Topmounter. For pyra- 
mids and all double work, such as 2-High 
Falls, the Topmounters ought to be intelligent 
and brave, as light as possible, and also strong 
and obedient. Very important work is that 
of these Topmounters. If they do not know 
their parts, the Understanders cannot do theirs. 

The ten elements of simple tumbling to be 
mastered are: The Salute. The Roll. The 
Headstand. Cart-wheels. Handstand. Hand- 
walking. Double Work. Handsprings. Pyra- 
mids. Diving.^ 

The Salute. This is very important. 

You will see all performers at a circus salute 

1 The order in which these are practised must vary according 
to the needs of the class and the judgment of the instructor. It 
is not well to work too long at any one. I begin always with 
the first three. Pyramids may come in at any time, the front 
handsprings after handstands and diving. Back handsprings 
I leave to the last. The roll is the most important. The 
shoulder-mount and the 2-High Fall are naturally used in 
"brother acts"; but if the instructor cares to do the work of 
Understander, these are very useful for all the class in teaching 
nerve and balance. 



12 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

the audience with their hands before they be- 
gin, and they use the same method of express- 
ing thanks for applause — if they get any. 
This courteous custom has come down for hun- 
dreds of years from the Roman and Greek 
shows. It is exceedingly difficult to teach 
boys. Girls learn it more easily. There are a 
number of styles, but two are sufficient for 
ordinary use. The first is shown in illustra- 
tion I. Feet opened out, heels together, 
body straight in balance, head up, smile, arms 
raised, and bent a little at the elbow, the edge 
of the hand toward the audience, hand$ 
slightly cupped, fingers and thumb close to- 
gether. The whole position should be grace- 
ful and balanced. In the illustration the class 
is trying to do it, and there is something wrong 
with each one after three weeks' practise. 
Probably this class, an exceptionally clever lot, 
could not master this simple position without 
two months' steady effort. 

The second style is well shown in illustra- 
tion 2. The arms must be level with the 
shoulders, and exactly in line with them, 
neither forward nor back, head erect, smile. 



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THE TEN ELEMENTS 13 

heels together, fingers and thumb closed, hands 
flat, easy balance. It is especially useful at 
the end of the roll. 

Now we begin to work on the mat; one fif- 
teen feet long by three feet wide is the best, 
and two to three inches thick. (Only for style 
in show-time lay a red carpet over it, which 
must not be slippery.) Such a mat costs about 
fifteen dollars, and other accessories, such as 
hoops, et cetera, three or four dollars. 

The Roll. (Illustration 2.) Place your 
hands on the mat, duck your head, roll on your 
rounded back over and up on your feet, draw- 
ing them in well. In doing this you must not 
strike your head nor bump your back. All 
your weight should be carried on the hands and 
back. To duck your head and keep it from 
striking the mat is the most important part of 
the roll. You hit the mat first with the shoul- 
ders. Gradually you will learn to carry 
nearly all your weight on the hands and roll 
smoothly and easily on your rounded back 
without bumping it, and evenly up on to your 
feet. When you are on your feet, stand up 
straight and make a salute with your hands. 



14 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

If you overbalance forward or back, throw 
your head the opposite way and that will stop 
you. Do not try the roll without a mat until 
you have thoroughly mastered it. Do not go 
on to the dive until you have the roll com- 
pletely and correctly. You need the roll to 
finish nearly all tricks, and it is best to learn 
it first. 

A smooth, easy roll, made without striking 
the head or bumping the back and then com- 
ing to a standing position with a good balance, 
requires steady work. Do it slowly at first, 
until you get the right motion, then, after a lot 
of practise, faster and faster. The hands 
should never be placed on the legs, as in illus- 
tration 2. 

The Headstand. Having made sure of 
the roll, the next thing is to learn to stand on 
your head. 

Mark out on the mat a triangle measuring 
twelve to eighteen inches on each side. Place 
your head on one point and your hands on the 
other two. The instructor may take hold of 
your ankles and pull you up straight. Push 
on your hands and keep the weight on your 




3. HEADSTANDS 




4. BRIDGE AND HANDSTAND 




5. Middle Position 
Cartwheels 



m 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 15 

hands and head. When the body is straight 
up over your head — the top of your head, not 
the forehead — put your legs up. straight and 
point your toes. After enough practise you 
can do this alone. Get some one to tell you 
if head, neck, body, legs and toes are in one 
straight line (illustration 3). Until you are 
used to the upside-down position, it con- 
fuses you, and until the muscles become strong 
you cannot push up to, and hold, a correct po- 
sition. The hands, of course, are to tlxe front. 
At first, being upside-down, you will naturally 
put them at the back. Also, at first you will 
push too hard on the hands, perhaps, and go 
over. Then duck your head and roll over to 
your feet. Do not get discouraged if you can- 
not get this quickly. Two of the boys in the 
picture learned it in three weeks. When you 
have it, you can place your hands and head 
correctly on the mat, get your weight on the 
hands and head, draw the feet and knees close 
to the body, push all straight up over the head, 
shove the feet straight up in line, pointing the 
toes, and hold that position. Not for long, 
however, nor to do it longer than some other 



i6 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

boy. Nothing is more silly or useless than to 
try that. 

Cart-wheels. A cart-wheel is left or 
right, depending upon which hand touches 
the mat first. We begin with the left. Place 
the left hand on the mat; throw the right leg 
up in the air; jump with the left leg, throwing 
yourself so as to land on the right hand, both 
legs being up in the air; then turn and land 
first on the right leg and then on the left. The 
arms, as in the handsprings, must be stiff, and, 
at the finish of the turn, the right gives a shove 
which brings you up quicker to the standing 
position in which you began. The instructor, 
or any one else, will help you, standing at your 
back and holding you around the waist. As 
long as you keep the arms stiff, nothing can 
happen except to tumble backward on the 
floor. The true position is with the arms and 
legs as in illustration 5, like the spokes of a 
wheel, and, when you get an even motion, the 
arms and legs will be a little bent. 

The right cart-wheel is the same, except that 
you begin with the right hand down and the 
back turned the other way. 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 17 

The most effective trick in cart-wheels is 
to throw a string of rights and lefts alter- 
nately, but this — though well worth the 
effort — takes a great deal of practise, and 
does not look well unless done quickly and 
smoothly. 

Handstand. Place the hands on the mat 
about two feet apart; keep the arms stiff; 
curve the body and legs up in the air; curve 
the head up as far as you can ; put the feet to- 
gether and point the toes; do not bend the 
knees ; bend the body at the waist as much as 
you can. After practise you will get a bal- 
ance which you can hold. At first, in practis- 
ing the handstand, you need some one to hold 
you in position. Then practise against the 
wall. Place your hands on the floor about 
eighteen inches from the wall, or whatever dis- 
tance suits your height. Keep the arms stiff; 
throw one foot up against the wall and then 
the other. In coming down, put one foot 
down on the floor first then the other, and you 
will not bruise your knees. Keep the arms 
stiff, so as not to crumple up and bang your 
head on the floor. Curve the body as much as 



i8 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

you can and keep the head well up. (See 
handstand in illustrations 4 and 23. 

After you get the balance against the wall, 
push away an inch or so with your heels and 
hold the balance. Do this two or three times 
night and morning, and in a few weeks you 
can do it on the mat without any one to help 
you. Then you can begin, little by little, to 
walk on your hands. Always come down 
from the handstand on the mat by ducking 
your head and doing a roll. 

HandwaLKING. To practise this, use the 
trick called the ^Wheelbarrow." (Illustra- 
tion 6.) Let half the class stand on their 
hands, and the other half take the feet of 
the first half on their shoulders. The four 
doubles walk in file from the stage steps to 
the mat, and up and down the strong little 
handwalking double staircase of two treads 
on each side, each step being four inches high, 
eight wide, and sixteen long. After coming 
down the staircase, each pair do a roll, finish- 
ing with the second salute. 

Double Work. The first thing to teach in 
double work, is the shoulder-mount. Take 









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THE 2-HIGH FALL 



7. 1st Position 

8. Falling. 



9. No. 2 Salute 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 



19 



the Topmounter's hands as shown in illustra- 
tion A. He places the right foot on your bent 
right leg as near the body as he can (illustra- 
tion b). Pull him up, and he can place the 







C D 

Other foot up on your left shoulder (illustra- 
tion c). He then draws up the right foot to 
your right shoulder, and stands erect, steady- 
ing himself by pressing his legs against the 
sides of your head. You, the Understander, 
then drop the Topmounter's hands and hold 
his legs tightly against your head, grasping 



20 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

them just below the knees. Both stand 
straight as in illustration D. The Topmounter 
must hold his head up, fold his arms, and 
smile — always practise smiling. At first the 
Topmounter is wobbly and walks all over 
your neck — he is so scared. If the Top- 
mounter loses his balance (there must always 
be some one placed behind to watch and catch 
him at first), the Understander should lean 
forward so he can jump to the mat. Be care- 
ful not to hold his legs and trip him. Before 
long, the Topmounter will learn to go up 
straight, keeping close to the Understander. 
The Understander must not straighten up 
his right leg until the Topmounter has his left 
foot firmly planted on his shoulder and has 
begun to pull up to position. As soon as both 
are in good balance, try the fall. Both lean 
forward and fall, keeping in a straight line 
(illustrations 7, 8 and 9) until the Top- 
mounter cannot stay any longer on the Under- 
stander's shoulders. He jumps to the mat, 
and both do a roll, coming to the salute as in 
the illustration. In this picture the less 
trained of the two Topmounters has crumpled 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 21 

up, his Understander is trying to hold him, 
and the two are not in line nor in balance. 
He is also looking sideways and not straight 
ahead in the first position. After both Top- 
mounters are in position and ready, the man- 
ager gives a signal for the fall. One pair is 
at each end at opposite sides of the mat, and, 
falling past each other, a pleasing effect is 
produced. If the rolls are smartly done, an 
audience will hardly notice a little defect in 
the fall, but the camera shows it clearly. The 
Understander must be careful not to hold the 
Topmounter's legs so as to trip him when he 
wishes to jump. 

Handsprings. These are back and front 
according to the direction you go. The back 
handspring is generally called a back flip. 

In learning handsprings use a "mechanic." 
This is a broad strong belt of canvas, soft 
enough not to cut, which buckles around the 
waist with two or three small straps. Fasten 
two small rings outside in the middle line of 
the belt and a little back of where the arms 
fall, and in them catch two snap-hooks, with 
swivel hpads, fastened at the end of soft ropes 



22 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

about three feet long. These ropes are 
strongly held by a person at each side, so that, 
when you throw back, you will not strike your 
head on the mat. 

It is sometimes convenient to pass two long 
14-inch ropes through one single and one 
double pulley (fastened high up about twelve 
feet apart) and attached to the belt ropes. 
Both come down on the same side of the mat 
and the instructor can hold both in one hand, 
leaving a hand free to help the pupil turn. 

Now throw your hands over your head; 
curve your body back; keep your arms stiff; 
land on your hands on the mat; jump with 
your feet, and throw them over to the mat. 
At first you will not get over, and the instruc- 
tor will help you with one hand. Be sure to 
keep the arms stiff so as not to knock the head, 
and presently you will begin to get over alone. 
After that, you do not need the mechanic, and 
the instructor can put one hand under your 
back and help a little until you can do this 
back flip alone. Always practise on a mat at 
first or you will bruise your hands and feet. 

I have prepared a show without attempting 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 23 

the back handspring, and gotten on very well ; 
but, naturally, each additional element of the 
ten enables you to make more combinations 
and give a better show. The forward hand- 
spring is easier. 

Walk to the mat, put your hands down as 
for a handstand, jump, and go over to your 
feet. Fix your mind on keeping your arms 
stiff. If you bend the arms you will not get 
over and will perhaps knock your head. The 
instructor will heip by using the mechanic, 
which is better at first, or by putting his hand 
on the front of your shoulder and giving a 
push as you go over. Learn the handstand 
and practise handwalking a great deal first, 
as these two are most helpful in learning the 
handspring. 

Professionals as a rule teach the bender 
before the back flip. Hold the pupil around 
the waist and let him bend over backwards, 
placing his hands on the mat as near his feet 
as possible. When he can do this without be- 
ing held, he has only to learn to keep his arms 
stiff and the little jump needed for the flip is 
easy. Archange Tuccaro wrote his book on 



24 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

tumbling three hundred years ago. He gives 
a funny little illustration of his method. In 
this the boy bends over the instructor's leg and 
the soft muscles of the thigh make an admir- 
able cushion for his back. (Illustration lo.) 

For a man or big boy, it is common for the 
instructor to take hold of one leg and the back 
or a belt and throw him, but this has always 
seemed to me the slowest method of teaching 
the back flip. 

If a boy is stiff, cannot learn a bender, and 
does not weigh over loo pounds, I put one arm 
around his waist, the other under his knees, 
and throw him over to his feet. 

Before long he is used to turning in the air, 
which is about one half of what he has to 
learn. 

Then as soon as he can be relied on to keep 
his arms stiff so that he will not knock his head, 
one hand under the back is enough as you help 
him over. Pretty soon he can get over alone 
and will shortly get the correct and easy mo- 
tion of a back flip. After that he can learn 
to do spotters or a string of flips. 

Pyramids. There are many of these. 




II. PYRAMID. ADORATION. 



Rugen 





12. PYRAMID. PATH TO THE STARS 

Lighted balloon is balanced on Topmounter's right hand. 



Rugen 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 25 

Two, "Adoration," and the 'Tath to the 
Stars," are useful. 

Adoration. (Illustration 11.) Three on 
their hands and knees, shoving close together, 
arms braced across. Two above them doing 
the same. The Topmounter goes up quickly 
from the back, salutes, jumps down, and does a 
roll. The two seconds dive down and roll. 
The three Understanders roll. All form at 
the end of the mat and salute; run back to the 
steps. This requires practise. If the Un- 
derstanders and seconds are not steady, the 
Topmounter cannot go up and is invariably 
blamed by the rest. The Topmounter must 
not hesitate and must make a graceful salute, 
or the effect is bad. All must come smartly 
through the rolls to the final salute. 

Path to the Stars. This is a very pretty 
pyramid if well done. Form a solid and even 
staircase (as shown in illustration 12), ending 
in the strongest Understander. The Top- 
mounter gracefully (more or less) walks up 
this and stands on the shoulders of the Under- 
stander, who must hold him firmly. The 
staircase behind braces the Understander. To 



26 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

the Topmounter is handed a sort of paper bal- 
loon, sold in trick-shops, or a dazzler cut short, 
and a lighted taper. He balances the balloon 
on right hand, lights it, and throws down the 
taper {cue for lights). Instantly the lights in 
the hall are snapped off. The balloon burns 
down to the hand, watched by the Top- 
mounter with an anxious smile. But just be- 
fore the flame reaches it, the balloon sails up 
and drops a shower of silver stars {cue for 
lights). The lights are snapped on, the Top- 
mounter and Understander do a 2-High Fall, 
all the rest roll, one after the other, coming up 
to the second salute, and run back to steps. 

Diving. I have left to the last the direc- 
tions for diving, for the reason that, in this sort 
of a show, rolls and diving are the most im- 
portant of all the tricks. AFTER YOU 
HAVE MASTERED THE ROLL, let the 
instructor hold a stick horizontally about a 
foot above the mat. Walk up to it slowly, 
fall over on your hands, duck your head, and 
roll. Be especially careful to keep all your 
weight on your hands and not to strike your 
head on the mat. Practise this until you can 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 27 

run up to it and go over properly, banging 
neither your head nor your back. Each time 
roll up on your feet to saluting position. If 
your heels come over and strike the mat, draw 
them in. When you get this, the stick is raised 
a little and practise continues until the stick 
is about waist high. 

On no account stop this practise until all the 
class can go over it easily on the run without 
balking or bumping. Much depends on this 
in future tricks, so do not go on until you have 
it. Now place a chair on the mat and stand 
on it. As well as you can, without bending 
the knees, drop to your hands on the mat, keep 
the weight on your hands, duck your head and 
roll. At first the instructor must hold you 
around the waist when you drop. Later you 
can do it alone, without upsetting the chair. 
Turn the chair around and do the same over 
the back, always being held by the instructor 
at first. Lay the chair on its side, and let the 
class do running dives over it. When these 
things can be done perfectly, bumping neither 
the head nor the back, and not before, ad- 
vance to show diving. 



28 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

The Horses. All form a line, the leader 
runs to the mat, rolls and places himself across, 
as in illustrations 13 and 14. The second boy 
dives over him and places himself beside num- 
ber one. The third the same, and so on un- 
til you get up as high as your best diver can 
go without kicking the ''horses." In this act 
you can star the best diver. 

The Hoops. Get some medium-sized or 
large play-hoops. Begin with one. Let 
each dive through it until he does not balk 
or bump. Then to bother the divers a lit- 
tle, hang some coloured rags on it or use two 
hoops. Next, cover the hoops with strips of 
thin paper and dive through these, the arms 
held out stiffly, breaking the paper. After 
that cover the hoops with solid tissue paper. 
The diver will land on his hands on the mat, 
duck his head and roll as in illustration 15. 
Practise this steadily until no one balks or 
bumps, then the class is ready for 

'The Fiery Hoop of Death.'' Take a 
hoop and wind it with narrow pieces of cloth 
or cotton. An old sheet torn in strips lasts 
longest. Leave about a quarter of the rim 







d 

< 



P t/3 

. W 

«^ C/) 

o 

W 




w 
o 

w 

H 



w 

H 

O 

o 
g 

5 

< 

Pi 
w 
> 



Q 

< 

Q 
< 

CO 



Q 



C/3 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 29 

unwound to hold it by. Soak it in alcohol 
before the show, and dash on a little just be- 
fore using. At Cloyne the class lined up, the 
hoop was lighted, the efficient stage-manager 
turned off the lights, and only the burning 
hoop lit the hall. Down charged the class, 
dived through it, rolled up to the feet, and 
ran back to the steps. After all were back in 
line, instantly the lights came on, and you 
should have heard the applause. It is better 
not to repeat this trick, even if applauded. 

Before this the class dived through a plain 
hoop and eight paper-covered hoops, each of a 
different colour, with a gorgeous Thompson 
gold star in the centre to aim the hands at. 

It is a good plan with hoops to wrap all the 
joints with bicycle tape rubbed over after- 
wards with talcum powder, as they are apt to 
break at the joints. 

The best way with hoops is to buy the out- 
side four of a "nest" of hoops. That gives two 
pairs which fit snugly together. Laying the 
inside one on the table, cover with tissue paper 
and fasten with the other, thus avoiding the 
work of pasting. For a class of eight, ten 



30 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

pairs are ample, allowing one for each to 
break and two for double hoop diving. 

When you desire to give a show, the best 
method is that of professional circus-directors 
and vaudeville stage-managers : to so build up 
your programme with such material as you 
have that the show begins well, ends well, and 
does not drag. By that I mean that the open- 
ing interests the audience, that they are not 
weary as it proceeds, and it finishes well. 

One half of the success of a professional 
show is due to the style and finish. Every- 
thing goes smoothly and all the acts are 
planned to look well. This style and finish 
you may have if you rehearse enough, and, if 
the acts are pretty, the fact that the tricks are 
easier does not much matter. 

You must remember that, when you give a 
show, you have to know exactly whatever you 
try to do. It is not like a classroom where 
there is time to think and where you may get 
through by excuses or good luck. If you un- 
dertake to do anything before an audience you 
must do it properly and at the exact moment 
appointed. 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 31 

In building up a programme, star each one 
of the company in something, every member 
getting a chance at the limelight. One boy 
will learn the cart-wheel first; make that his 
specialty and star him in it. Another the 
handspring, and so on. Begin with a slow act 
by the class, end with a quick one. Break the 
monotony of all-class acts by ^'brother acts" 
and specialties, as described in the following 
chapters. 

TOPMOUNTERS AND UnDERSTANDERS. In 
all double work it is the Understander's duty 
to save his Topmounter from falls and bruises. 
That is what the Understander is there for, to 
take everything that comes. Otherwise the 
Topmounter will not have confidence and 
cannot do good work. Until two have worked 
together for a while they are not ^4n time," as 
professionals say. They cannot make the 
right moves at just the right moment, but it 
is fine to see partners working in a good 
"brother act," every move nicely timed and to- 
gether. Naturally you choose the smallest 
boys for Topmounters on account of the 
weight, but there are other things to be con- 



32 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

sidered. Does he look well when he smiles? 
Has he courage? Has he a swelled head? 
Will he be obedient? A sullen-faced boy 
produces a bad impression on top of a pyra- 
mid or in a brother act. People think he has 
been overtrained or the work hurts him or I 
know not what^ — especially nervous women, 
and as you are trying to make a pleasing im- 
pression on an audience you must consider all 
this. 

It is not enough to do a difficult act prop- 
erly. It must be done gracefully, with style, 
for if your audience is not pleased — you may 
as well stay at home. 

In the old days there used to be a theatre 
on the Bowery which had an amateur night 
once a week. Any amateur could pay a dol- 
lar and go on and do his or her act. If the 
act was bad the audience would all yell — 
^'rotten" or "get the hook," and if the per- 
former declined to stop, the stage hands 
dragged him off. I have seen there, acts, 
given by boys, which had real merit; that is, 
they were difficult things to do, but they were 
so awkwardly done, without style or finish, 




u 

< 




19. . Throw No. 2 
First Position 



20. Throw No. 2 
Second Position 

Center Oval, 21, Double Walk 



Both these practice throws are useful, especially in training Top- 
mounters. Learn them always on a soft mat. No. i is more easily 
leaii. '-an No. 2. At first in swinging up No. i let some one 

put a hand at his neck so that he will not tall back. Soon he will 
get the time and land on his feet. No. 2 has to push hard on the 
mat at the pull up of the legs. Do not let go of him the first few 
trys or he is sure to land on his nose. When he has the time, throw 
his feet over, he pushes his hands hard and comes to second position. 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 33 

that no audience could accept them. Perhaps 
the boy would slouch on ; he looked all hands 
and feet — his work was always too slow or too 
fast. He lacked training. Amateur boy box- 
ers generally make the mistake of boxing too 
fast — they go at it as if each expected to knock 
out the other in the first half of the first round, 
bow, and go home. So to avoid all this — 
there must be ceaseless drill on the little points 
— the way one stands, holds his head and so 
on. In partner work, or "brother acts," as 
in all show work, your difficulty is that you 
cannot see yourself working. Here the in- 
structor or a sensible friend can help enor- 
mously. By steady criticism every day he 
will polish up your work until it becomes what 
all desire — a smooth, clever, beautiful act. 
Many an amateur act could be made a really 
good act if it were competently criticised and 
the performer did not have a swelled head and 
would listen. 

Do not try advanced work until you have 
mastered the ten elements and the simple work 
described. The patience that wins in life is 
needed here. Those who exercise it will be 



34 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

rewarded, for the boy or girl who masters the 
ten elements can easily learn to do well, pretty 
much anything. 

Another caution to Topmounters : Do not 
practise with any one else but your partner. 
Stray people who see you at work like to try 
the throws and double work without learning 
the Understander's part. This results in 
bruises and spoils your form. After practis- 
ing a while with a partner both learn the time ; 
and this is important. You gain nothing by 
practise with an ignorant stranger. 

When all have practised the fall and know 
the roll well, the double 2-High Fall can be 
much improved by using mats which cover a 
space about i8 feet long and 3 wide. Do the 
fall as before; after the salute all roll again 
quickly, get in position again, turn around, 
mount, and repeat the fall, roll, and salute. 
This takes each pair down the mats and 
back. 

Second time change the salute to number 2. 
Another variety of the 2-High Fall, if there 
are four Topmounters and four Understand- 
ers, is to put two pairs at each end. The four 



THE TEN ELEMENTS 35 

pairs cannot double down the mats and back 
unless wider mats are used. 

These 2-High Falls are much appreciated 
by an audience and supposed to be very diffi- 
cult. As a matter of fact the Topmounter 
stays on as long as he can and when he jumps 
is but a short distance from the mat. The 
roll, however, is done so quickly that an audi- 
ence imagines that he lands on his hands. 

The Topmounter cannot get bruised unless 
his Understander trips him or lets him fall 
backwards. If the Topmounter is damaged it 
is the fault of the Understander, a very good 
reason for never working with an Under- 
stander who has not learned his part. The 
instructor should see to this. 

Now then we may assume that you have 
faithfully followed the directions in this 
chapter and have attained a real proficiency in 
these ten elements of simple tumbling. 

It is fitting that you should enjoy the pleas- 
ure that one may find in "Amateur Circus 
Life" and the next chapters are devoted to 
telling you how best that may be done. 



CHAPTER IV 

PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 

Suppose that a Y. M. C. A. or Boy Scouts' 
Patrol wish to give a show and have three 
months to get ready in. 

The show can be given in a gym, a hall, in 
a tent or in the open. Wherever it is, ar- 
range a ring with sawdust and a stage on one 
side. Lighting should be the best you can 
command. If you have electricity that is 
best. A ring can be very well lit with the 
old-fashioned flare lights, such as peanut 
venders use, or larger. A stage, however, 
must have footlights and a curtain that works 
properly. 

Plenty of circus people are making a liv- 
ing in Latin America with no better rig than 
this and canvas enough for a fence to enclose 
the audience and balk the deadheads, because 
they cannot afford to buy a tent and give 

good shows too. Of course if you have no 

36 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 37 

tent a show is impossible in bad weather. 
iBenches, planks, and borrowed chairs will do 
for the audience. 

Size of the Ring. Just here this letter 
from Barnum & Bailey is interesting. 

BARNUM & BAILEY 

Greatest Show on Earth 

General Offices and Winterquarters, 

Bridgeport, Conn. 

March 21, 19 1 6. 
Ernest Balch, 
107 East 30th Street, 
New York City. 
Dear Sir: 

Answering your inquiry, a regulation circus ring is 42 
feet in diameter. The height of the curb is optional as it 
is only to serve as a guide for the horse. However, they 
are usually about 12 inches high. 

Very truly yours, 

Barnum & Bailey. 

Messrs. Barnum & Bailey explain that the 
size of a full ring is 42 feet. But this size is 
needed only when horses have to be ridden 
bareback. In a smaller ring the horse would 
be too cramped to get the right gait. 

For amateur work it may be as small as 20 
feet in diameter. This would give room 



38 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

enough for a double 2-High Fall and pretty 
much any kind of work desired. The circular 
wall may be built of wood with a padded can- 
vas top or turf covered with canvas or old 
carpet. If it can be managed, a very good 
effect is produced by covering the ring wall 
with pretty coloured bunting or similar stuff. 
If your ring is built on grass-covered ground, 
cut off the turf for the wall. Dig out the 
ground say two to three inches, smooth and 
remove all stones or stumps. Then cover with 
sifted sawdust or tan bark. This is as good 
for tumbling and acrobatic work as any mat. 
If you give a really good show, you can sell 
tickets for it. People will always pay to be 
amused and the entrance money counts up 
rapidly. Many people are quite tired of the 
movies. Boys should plan a show at 10,-15, 
and 25 cents for the best seats. Ticket sellers 
and ushers are easy to get. The main thing is 
a well-drilled company giving an interesting 
performance. The advantage of the stage is 
that you can put on a fake animal act, or 
a boy or girl who can sing a solo or a chorus 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 39 

or indeed anything that interests, barring long 
and stale recitations. 

In the ring the only fake animal you can 
use is an elephant, shown by a clown, or per- 
haps a donkey. 

You will make the most money by giving 
three performances. 

First at night. The second day a matinee, 
and then an evening show with a little change 
of bill, say a pretty pantomime. There are a 
number of these; for instance, ^'Cinderella," 
part in the ring, part on the stage; ''The 
Schoolmaster" in the ring, "The Hotel" in the 
ring, "Box & Cox" on the stage, a burlesque 
of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," etc. 

How Much Time Should be Allowed 
FOR Preparation? I would say three 
months, supposing that you wish to give a 
show and make money out of it, for the Red 
Cross or something. 

If you sell tickets at 25 and 50 cents you 
must give a very good show and that means a 
long drill and some older head to manage 
things. A smaller enterprise takes less prepa- 



40 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

ration. If you have boys or girls who have 
learned already to do something, so much time 
is saved. If there is a stage, a piano or violin 
act may be put in or a dance. 

Small one-ring circuses can do this with 
benefit; the show goes better because there is 
change and variety. All sorts of people go to 
a show and there are varying tastes. 

A programme has to be made interesting. 
It is not enough to provide a string of Class 
acts. That would be monotonous. The audi- 
ence must be entertained by afifairs which seem 
to it amusing and pretty. In a word, you 
must please your audience. It is like a good 
dinner, to the solid meat course, you add soup, 
salad and dessert. The tumbling work is the 
real solid meat of your banquet, but there 
must not be too much of it. 

It is not my intention nor is there space to 
describe very many circus acts; but rather to 
pick out a few that may be learned by ama- 
teurs without too great sacrifice of time. Lack 
of time is the great obstacle. To practise an 
act two or five years before he is sure of it 
is not unusual for a professional, and this is 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 41 

obviously impracticable for the readers of 
this book. 

I exclude also acts which depend for the 
efifect upon one difficult or dangerous feat, 
acts which require elaborate scenery and lights 
or expensive costumes. 

All these things must be considered and 
furthermore we can do well without them for 
we do not have to pass the exacting and some- 
times routine standards of agents and man- 
agers, and best of all we are free from the 
burden of the treadmill life of the profes- 
sional. 

If the amateur masters the ten elements of 
simple tumbling, to give two or three attrac- 
tive shows a year is easy and this is about all 
he will wish to do. 

To embark in the business is given to few, 
and is altogether another matter. Any boy 
who intends to do that will find that what he 
learns here is a help, but that he has to learn 
a whole lot more which only a master — an 
exacting master — can teach. 

Professional acrobatic work is very serious 
business. The life is one of great self-denial. 



42 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

A first-class acrobat does not drink, use to- 
bacco, or gamble; he must have plenty of 
sleep and he cannot follow any other occupa- 
tion. 

He is always going somewhere and never 
getting anywhere. A week or less in one 
place and you are off for another, perhaps 
never to come back. Travelling all over the 
world and seeing nothing and knowing noth- 
ing about the best things in that world — be- 
hold the life of an acrobat. 

Brother Acts are so-called because it is 
circus custom to bill an act as performed by 
families or brothers. This is simply a con- 
venient custom. The act is owned by some 
one and the name is a sort of trade-mark 
which is of value in treating with agents and 
managers. The ^'Brown Family" or "Brown 
Brothers" do a certain kind of act and acquire 
a reputation which is valuable. They are 
known in the business to be reliable and able 
to do what they contract to do. If one of the 
"family" drops out some one else is hired to 
fill the place. 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 43 

It is convenient in amateur circus work to 
follow this custom. 

Two or three practise together, learn an act, 
and choose a name. These brother acts may 
be easy or difficult according to the skill of 
the actors. In Chapter V a show is described 
which was rehearsed only three weeks. Two 
brother acts were built up out of easy tricks. 
As they were done nicely with style and fin- 
ish, both improved the programme. 

Once the ten elements of simple tumbling 
are mastered an endless list of combinations 
is possible. Each act should comprise three 
tricks, and a fourth, the best or showiest, 
should be kept for encores. A trick nearly 
always ends with a roll and salute. The fol- 
lowing are two-brother acts for big boys and 
one for little boys and a ''principal" brother 
act. The Sanreyes, given as illustrations of 
what may be done. 

Simple Brother Act. No, i. The Kick, 
Understander on his back on the mat. Top- 
mounter sits on his feet. Understander kicks 
him up in the air. Topmounter shoots up. 



44 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

dives, and rolls up to standing position. Un- 
derstander back rolls to standing position. 
Both do No. 2 salute together. 

2d Trick, Topmounter rolls, and Un- 
derstander dives over him, v^hile he is rolling 
in opposite direction. Both turn and go the 
opposite w^ay, but second time Topmounter 
dives and Understander rolls. Both face and 
give No. I salute or salute back to back. 

3d? Trick. Shoulder mount 2-High Fall, 
No. 2. Salute. 

Encore. The Turn. Double bridge, 
Topmounter on top. (Bridge shown by Un- 
derstander in illustration 4.) They turn so 
Understander is on his hands and knees and 
Topmounter same on his back. 

Understander gives one hand to Top- 
mounter and brings one foot forward. Bal- 
ancing on that he gives the other hand to Top- 
mounter and begins to rise up on his feet. 
Topmounter is balanced well up near the 
shoulders. When Understander is well up on 
his feet and solid, Topmounter brings one 
foot up to place on his shoulder, then the 
other, balanced and supported by Under- 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 45 

stander's hands. After this stand up straight, 
a 2-High Fall and No. 2 salute. 

This turn requires much practise. Top- 
mounter's feet must never touch the floor in 
making the turn, and both must learn the 
2-High Fall before trying the turn. 

This brother act follows the rule. Do 
three things: Begin with an easy trick, fill 
in with your second best, end with a showy 
one of merit, and have ready for an encore a 
harder and showy trick, in case you are ap- 
plauded. It is also so composed as to in- 
clude what the partners have learned to do, 
and to interest an audience, providing always 
the work can be done smoothly and quickly. 

In brother acts it is desirable to combine 
tricks, if possible, that easily run into each 
other, as, for instance, the 2-High Fall does 
into the roll, and No. 2 salute. As in illus- 
tration 16 this planche follows well the 
shoulder mount. After an erect balance on 
the shoulders the Topmounter sits on the Un- 
derstander's shoulders, plants his feet on the 
Understander's legs close to his waist, stands 
up and curves back, while Understander pulls 



46 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

his head back and leans back to a balance. 
The combination, therefore, runs: shoulder 
mount, planche, double roll. No. 2. Salute. 

Second Brother Act. Bridge Handstand 
Snap-Up. In the bridge and handstand (il- 
lustration 4), the Understander is invaria- 
bly supposed by an audience to be doing all 
the work. As his feet and hands are spread a 
little and knees touching, he really does noth- 
ing, since it is easy to sustain the weight of the 
Topmounter in this position. This is prop- 
erly a two-trick combination. Topmounter 
does a handstand and handsprings off. Un- 
derstander does a snap up. Both salute. But 
if they are not far enough advanced to do all 
this, the Topmounter can come back to a 
standing position and Understander can back 
roll to his feet, both saluting, which makes a 
fair combination. 

Brother Act for Little Boys. Two 
simple and easy tricks for little boys are the 
double walk and the double roll. They do 
not look well for big boys and are too easy. 

Double Walk. Face to face both take 
hold of each other's shoulders. No 2 jumps, 




Russak 

22. DOUBLE ROLL 

Top boy dives between feet close in holding feet firmly. Bottom 
boy pushes up and does the same. Both should roll smoothly without 
bumping the head. This is brother work on a mat. 




23. EASY PYRAMID 



Russak 



Topmounter goes up first. Front boy takes position second. Back 
boy last. Handstanders come down first, then Topmounter. All roll 
and salute. 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 47 

throws his legs around No. I's waist, and 
hooks his feet. No. 2 bends backward 
through No. I's legs, puts his hands on No. I's 
Achilles tendons, and raises his head and 
shoulders up. No i bends over and puts his 
hands on the mat. They walk down the mat. 
Stop. No. I pulls No. 2 back to standing 
position. Both salute. (Illustration 21.) 

Double Roll. No. i lies on his back. 
No. 2 stands with a foot on each side of his 
head. No. i puts his feet up. Each takes 
hold of the other's ankles. No. 2 does a roll 
and No. i pushes and helps him over. No. 
I then does a roll helped over by No. 2. 
Three rolls down and two back. Salute. 
(Illustration 22.) 

An improvement of this: The two march 
on the mat as in the Wheelbarrow (illus- 
tration 6). Swiftly the wheelbarrow ducks 
and rolls, taking hold of No. 2's an- 
kles. Proceed in the double roll down and 
back. 

The Sanreyes. Principal Act. We will 
suppose the two boys who wish to make the 
act have a trained dog. 



48 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

The boys have learned to do the roll, the 
dive, the headstand, the shoulder-mount, and 
2-High Fall, and one of them can do a hand- 
stand. 

The dog has learned to sit up, to do one or 
two rolls in succession, to walk on his front 
or hind paws, and to jump on the back of one 
of the boys and then climb up onto his head 
assisted by the boy and sit there, then do a 
2-High Fall. 

All of these are easy and do not take much 
time. The dog is taught as described in 
Chapter IX. 

We will name the act 

THE SANREYES 

(Properties required, a mat) 

As explained such a name is a sort of trade- 
mark and has nothing to do with the real 
name of the performers. We will suppose 
the dog to be pretty good and above all re- 
liable ; that is, he will always do what he has 
learned when he gets his cue. If he runs 
around barking, balks or has to be coaxed he 
will spoil the act. The three Sanreyes are 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 49 

therefore, George, Harry, and Billy, the dog. 
You would bill it so : 

THE SANREYES 
George , Harry 

Billy 

First George and Harry come out on the 
floor and salute, or if the act is put on the 
stage, the curtain rises and they are standing 
there saluting, but Billy remains out of sight. 
The mat is conveniently placed. Nothing 
else is needed for this act. 

iBilly does not appear until the second part 
or the third, if he is not very reliable or has 
learned only one trick. 

No. I. George and Harry. Shoulder 
mount. Balance. No. 2 Salute. Planche. 
Both roll. No. 2 Salute. 

No. 2. George and Harry do a bridge and 
handstand (illustration 4). Shoulder-mount 
and 2-High Fall. They stand behind the mat 
with arms folded. Billy comes on and walks 
down the mat on two feet. Billy jumps on 
Harry's back, sits on his shoulders or head. 
2-High Fall. Both roll. 



50 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

No. 3. Harry shoulder-mount on George. 
Billy jumps up to Harry. Harry holds Billy 
on his shoulders and does a planche. When 
Harry and George are in balance, Harry 
brings Billy out to a planche in front of him. 
All roll. (Illustration 16.) 

Encore. George on hands and knees. 
Harry same on his back. Billy jumps up on 
Harry. Harry steadies Billy with right 
hand. George and Harry come to standing 
position. Billy on Harry's shoulders. 3-High 
Fall. All roll. Bow. After the three San- 
reyes have built up the act so far they will 
change and improve it as fast as they learn 
more difficult tricks. This is true of all 
brother acts. 

Table and Chair Act for Big Boy 
OR Clowns 

I table 22 inches by 22 inches by 32 inches 
high. 

I chair 16 inches by 16 inches by 18 inches 
high to seat. 

I chair 14 inches by 14 inches by 18 inches 
high to seat. 




Russak 

24. TABLE AND CHAIR ACT. FORWARD FALL 




25. TABLE AND CHAIR ACT 

Back Fall. "This is the life." 



Riissak 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 51 

The top of table and seat of big chair are 
slightly notched to keep the legs from slip- 
ping. 

Clown piles them up and sits on the top 
chair. 

ist clown rocks back and forth with funny 
business. 

No. 2 clown meanwhile pretends fear, etc. 

If you wish to fall forward, just as the 
chairs and table go over throw your feet for- 
ward, your head back (illustration 24), land 
on your feet and do a quick roll to feet. This 
produces the effect of a fall. If you fall back 
spread your feet on each side of the chair and 
throw the head and shoulders forward (illus- 
tration 25). You will land on your feet and 
instantly do a back roll to feet again. Mats 
are arranged in front and back of the table. 

At first practising a partner or instructor 
should hold table and chair until clown gets 
control of the balance, for table and chairs are 
liable to double up and the table and one chair 
should be practised first; then two chairs until 
the performer can keep all in line as he rocks 
back and forward. 



52 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

This is properly a clown act, but may be 
put on the programme as an independent act 
for a big boy. The measurements must be 
changed to fit the table and chairs for a small 
boy. While No. i is piling up the chairs and 
climbing up to his place and while he is fall- 
ing, both clowns can use effectively a lot of 
business which they can work out themselves. 
The table should be made with big, heavy 
legs. After the act is learned these can be 
shaved down at the bottom so that the table 
will tip more easily. 

Contortion Work. Contortionists — snake 
men — are popularly suppposed to be double 
jointed — even that their bones are broken 
when children. This is untrue and absurd. 
Among boys there is sometimes one who has 
the peculiarity of very flexible joints. This 
may be seen by bending the fingers back to the 
wrist. If you can do this you can do ordinary 
contortion work, which mostly consists of 
bending back until the head goes between the 
feet or placing the feet behind the neck. 
Any one who can do so can make a contortion, 
act with little work. I have seen a boy do a 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 53 

fair amateur act after about two weeks' prac- 
tise. The main difficulty in his case was to 
learn the order of the tricks and not repeat 
himself. 

Juggling. It requires long practise to do 
work that depends on sleight of hand. There 
are good books to teach it, easily attained. 
Big stage mystery acts are easy but require 
expensive apparatus and lighting effects. 
However, I would recommend a boy to learn 
to juggle three objects, beginning with tennis 
balls, as this is an accomplishment useful in 
balance acts and other ways, and is very good 
training for the eye and nerves. 

Boxing. As I have explained, the impor- 
tant thing to do is to diversify your pro- 
gramme. Boxing is a very good way to do 
this, but solely as an act to show off your small- 
est boys. If you can get a pair about ten years 
old who know a little about boxing and are not 
afraid to be punched a bit and can stand it 
without losing their tempers, that will make 
the act. Let one much larger pair begin, a 
middle pair follow; and then out jumps your 
smallest pair. You will be sure of applause. 



54 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Rounds should last about one minute. One 
round is enough for the first two pairs as they 
go on solely to introduce the little pair. Two 
rounds is enough for the smallest pair if they 
are evenly matched and really good. If they 
can box only a little or are unevenly matched, 
one round. It is hardly necessary to say that 
no boy should be allowed to box if he cannot 
control his temper and stand a little hammer- 
ing. 

Pantomimes possess a perennial fascina- 
tion and are most useful for an amateur circus. 

''Jack and the Beanstalk," "Cinderella," 
many of the famous old fairy tales can be 
turned into pantomimes with great success. 
''Robinson Crusoe" has been used again and 
again. The "Swiss Family Robinson" would 
make a good one. There are also afloat in the 
world little sketches of I know not what ori- 
gin, such as the "Hotel," the "Schoolmaster," 
the "Railroad Conductor." But one should 
distinguish in making a choice. It is neces- 
sary to consider what each story requires in 
the way of scenery, costumes, and changes. 
"Mucha maquina" as the Spanish puts it, 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 55 

would be an objection in many cases. The 
famous old tale of El Rey Dorado for which 
so many men have died, could be turned into 
a most effective pantomime but it would re- 
quire very elaborate costumes and effects and 
many people. The culminating scene in that 
story represents a sacred mountain lake in 
which the Gilded King bathes, washing off 
the gold dust and jewels with which he is 
covered as an offering to the God below the 
waters. Difficult to reproduce, whereas the 
culminating scene in "Cinderella" is the try- 
ing on of a slipper in a kitchen. "Jack and 
the Beanstalk" would be easier to give than 
the "Gilded King" but more difficult than 
"Cinderella." In producing any of these lit- 
tle pantomimes or comedies a trained and dis- 
ciplined tumbling class can do easily what 
other boys or girls would find very difficult. 
One could write another book explaining 
fully such matters. 

Any bright person can make up one of these 
little comedies. They may be all in panto- 
mime, or part pantomime, and part spoken 
lines. "Cinderella" begins on the stage. 



56 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Build a runway from the stage to the ring on 
which two side by side may easily walk. Two 
sets are required for the stage. One, the cot- 
tage kitchen of Cinderella. The other, the 
palace of the Prince. 

PARTS 

The Prince 

The Prime Minister 

Fairy Godmother 

Proud Sister No. i 

Proud Sister No. 2 

Herald 

As many more people as desired. Courtiers, attendants, 

guards, etc. 

Act I. Scene i. Cottage of Cinderella. 
All talk of the ball. Proud sisters rub it in. 
Scene 2. Proud sisters have gone to the ball. 
Fairy Godmother appears. Cinderella trans- 
formed comes down runway to coach in the 
ring. Goes to the ball. 

Act II. Scene I, (Onstage.) The ball. 
Clock strikes. Cinderella runs home, drop- 
ping slipper, from the stage down the runway 
and out the entrance. Scene 2. (On the 
stage.) Prince demands that Prime Minister 
finds the wearer of the slipper. 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 57 

Act III. (On Stage.) Kitchen scene. 
Trying on the slipper. Cinderella is discov- 
ered. Grand march down to ring and out to 
entrance. End with a grand wedding scene. 

This "Cinderella" is a very convenient little 
comedy because you can use many or few peo- 
ple and make it simple or gorgeous accord- 
ing to the resources of the company. I saw it 
done once in Mexico by a circus company of 
sixty odd. An extremely pretty girl in a 
beautiful costume was the Prince and looked 
it. Another pretty girl took the Cinderella 
part. All the principals were good panto- 
mimists. Nothing was spoken. A famous 
clown played the Prime Minister. Another 
good clown the Herald who bore the slipper 
on a cushion. 

The Proud Sisters were magnificent and 
homely. There was a real coach with coach- 
man and two footmen in cocked hats, wigs 
and liveries drawn by two little Shetland po- 
nies. The transformation of the coach, po- 
nies, and attendants was supposed to take 
place outside of the tent. When the Fairy 
Godmother summoned the coach, Cinderella 



58 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

was already beautifully dressed and covered 
with a ragged old dress which she dropped 
while Godmother stood in front of her and 
waved her wand, the ponies and coach gal- 
loped in from outside, stopping in the ring 
and the footmen opened the door with a bang 
and low bows. 

Cinderella drove off bowing and smiling 
to all of us in the audience. 

The Second Act was on the stage, the real 
circus orchestra playing dance music for the 
crowded ball. There was a pause, a clock 
struck slowly and loudly the fateful twelve, 
poor little Cinderella, dismayed, gathered up 
her dress and fled down the runway through 
the ring and out of the tent, the slipper is dis- 
covered and down came the curtain. 

Act III. Curtain rose on first kitchen set. 
Proud Sisters are discussing the ball, Cinder- 
ella weeps in the corner. The Prime Minis- 
ter, Herald, and guards solemnly march into 
the ring. This procession was very amusing. 
They mount up the runway to the kitchen on 
the stage. Each Proud Sister tries on the 
slipper. Nothing doing. Then Cinderella 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 59 

is discovered. Scene 2. The Palace again. 
Prince and Cinderella centre of the stage. 
Fairy Godmother behind them, blesses them. 
The Coach drives into the ring. Orchestra 
plays wedding march. Prince and Cinder- 
ella descend to the coach, slowly drive away, 
as you may believe to the great applause of 
the real audience, so sweet and happy they 
looked. The curtain descended, the audience 
applauded, sighed a little and went home. 
In this rendering the transformation of Cin- 
derella, the coach, the ponies and the attend- 
ants was dodged because they require so 
much setting and machinery. But the audi- 
ence did not mind that and the other points 
were charming and well done. The fairy at- 
mosphere was achieved. And a sweet, lovely 
old story it is, appealing as much to grown 
ups as to children, which will go well with a 
much simpler setting. 

The Hotel requires no scenery at all, and 
but three clever actors. 

Two cot beds are placed in the ring, one a 
broken tumble-down affair, the other a com- 
fortable one. A desk and chair are placed in 



6o AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

front at a little distance, say twelve feet. 
These represent the office of the hotel. The 
beds represent the lodging. Enter an old 
woman who keeps the hotel. After some re- 
marks from her, come in a lodger in a sort 
of ridiculous tramp costume. Dialogue. 
He receives the broken cot and gets into it. 
Funny business. Then enters the second 
lodger well dressed who is received with great 
politeness and shown to the nice cot. More 
funny business. This leads to a row between 
the lodgers, for the second goes out for a mo- 
ment and No. i steals his bed. The row in- 
creases until the old lady chases them both 
out and, distracted, runs out herself. The 
ring attendants rush out the beds, chair, and 
desk. In this comedy the whole effect is pro- 
duced by the dialogue and funny business. 
In clever hands it is very funny indeed. As 
a rule little comedies or pantomimes of this 
kind are used to end the show. At the end 
the orchestra plays the final good-night music. 
If a coach and ponies are not attainable for 
Cinderella, the arrangement must be changed 
somewhat and all take place on the stage. 



PREPARATION FOR A SHOW 6i 

A burlesque of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is not 
difficult. Once we did it in French and Eng- 
lish mixed and it was sufficiently ridiculous 
and amusing, under the name of "Le Cabine 
de Tio Tom." Soapboxes covered with cotton 
batting represented cakes of floating ice on the 
Ohio River over which little Eva was chased 
by a half dozen assorted dogs led by an Italian 
greyhound. Never shall I forget the mag- 
nificent Legree and his boots and the mongrel 
French pathos of Uncle Tom. 



CHAPTER V 
A SHOW AT A BOARDING SCHOOL 

One day at the Cloyne School, Lewis said, 
^ Won't you start a tumbling class?" Twice 
before I had conducted a tumbling class at 
Cloyne. In 1914, while building the winter 
camp, which is described in Chapter XII, we 
practised for four weeks. Lewis and three 
other boys, of this class described, were in it. 

So we began to practise an hour every after- 
noon but Saturday, starting with eleven boys. 
Then the head of the school asked, ''Can you 
not give a show Thanksgiving evening?" 

Every one wanted to do this ; but there were 
left only three weeks in which to get ready, 
and that is a very short time ; moreover, eleven 
boys are too many for a class. But there we 
Were with eleven, four of whom had had a lit- 
tle training, and just three weeks to Thanks- 
giving. I could not fairly ask a boy who 

worked well to drop out, but I have always 

62 



AT A BOARDING SCHOOL 63 

made the rule in a tumbling class that a boy 
must obey orders. Before long one of the 
class began to disobey and make disorder. 
Twice he was warned, but I suppose he 
thought he could pull through, and the third 
time I let him resign. 

Another boy was to go home for Thanksgiv- 
ing, and we needed one for stage manager, so 
now you see we were down to eight, just the 
right number, and a well-balanced lot they 
were except that the two Understanders 
should have been a trifle heavier. Fortu- 
nately, in this class there were two boys suit- 
able for Topmounters, so I began to train 
both, then at any symptom of enlarged head 
the other could be used, and the class not be 
delayed ; we were ready in time and both did 
good work at the show. 

In practising cartwheels it happened that 
Tom caught the true motion in two weeks and 
was the only one who did. So we made this 
his act. The other boys did left cartwheels 
down the mat, two each, twice round while he 
stood in a majestic pose. Then the floor was 
cleared and Tom turned a string of beauties 



64 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

all around the mat on the bare floor. Had we 
had a calcium light this would have been 
spotted on him while we wheeled around the 
mat, increasing the effect, which of course was 
due to the contrast between the not-well-done 
cartwheels on the mat and his easy motion. 
Great applause rewarded him. 

As I have described, what is done in sight of 
an audience must be done properly. Excuses 
amount to nothing at all. Moreover, this 
class had not yet appeared before an audience 
and would naturally be nervous. I must say 
that the night of the show they were hardly 
at all nervous, which I attribute to their prac- 
tise in public speaking and also to the capable 
work of stage manager Sam. None the less 
this same class would work a whole lot better 
at their next show, for it is surprising how 
much one learns by appearing before an audi- 
ence. 

One of the class tried a front handspring, but 
he did not get away with it simply from lack 
of confidence. With a week's more practise it 
would have gone all right. Not in the least 
his fault, for he was unwilling to try it, and I 



AT A BOARDING SCHOOL 65 

insisted. It was hardly noticed and mattered 
little. 

As we had but three weeks to practise in 
and four of the eight boys were quite green, 
we did not attempt the back flip. In the sec- 
ond week of practise it became time to settle 
the programme of this Thanksgiving show. 
One difficulty with amateur shows is that they 
do not work smoothly. There are always de- 
lays, the curtain does not go up at the right 
time, and all the rest of it Here the stage 
manager knew his business and the company 
worked so smoothly that all went a little too 
fast. Afterwards it was agreed that the show 
might have had more acts and run a half hour 
longer without tiring the audience. Like all 
good stage managers Sam is gloomy and pessi- 
mistic. 

^'These kids can't do anything," said he. 

"That's a fact, they cannot do much in three 
weeks, but they will stand for a lot of drill 
now that the class is down to eight, and what 
they do they will do with style and finish. 
Two-thirds of the audience will not know the 
difference between easy stuff and hard, and 



66 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

the other third will make allowances for the 
short preparation. You run your end in good 
shape and the show will go well." 

"Suppose Craik gets rattled?" (One of the 
Topmounters). 

"Well, he won't; he is getting steadier every 
day." 

"I think you ought to beat/em up a little." 

"Yes, that would probably hasten matters, 
but might not be understood." 

"Lewis will never hold that handstand in 
Turner Brothers act." 

"Yes, he will — he has not a lot of style but 
he is always reliable." 

"What are they going to wear?" 

"Tights, of course; we can get up a fine cos- 
tume for little money." 

The costume described in Chapter VI was 
purchased and the two Topmounters had 
crimson velvet trunks, and each performer 
wore a rosette of crimson ribbon placed on the 
chest, a little below the left shoulder, and a 
crimson ribbon tied around the left leg below 
the knee. This red relieved the effect of so 



AT A BOARDING SCHOOL 67 

much blackness. Every one else was in even- 
ing dress, so the show achieved a certain style. 
Now for the beginning, ''The Grand En- 
tree." This opens the show and must be a lit- 
tle picture. It is very important to impress an 
audience well at the start. If you slouch in 
with an embarrassed air the effect is depress- 
ing. We began this way : the orchestra played 
an overture. A little introductory speech was 
made. Meanwhile the stage manager ar- 
ranged the class in line, back of the curtain, 
with the two Topmounters in front and the 
— Understanders at the ends. Behold a nervous 
moment behind the curtain while the speech 
was paralysing the audience in front. The 
stage manager held the situation by marching 
down the line and giving each boy a punch 
in the stomach, thus pleasantly attracting their 
attention. The talk ended, the speaker de- 
scended the steps to the floor, the orchestra 
began the incidental music; slowly the foot- 
lights went up in professional style, the cur- 
tain slowly rose, and the class stood there like 
a rock. {Frontispiece.) 



68 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

At a signal, led by the Topmounters, they 
marched steadily down from the stage, two by 
two, formed a line, did a roll on the floor (il- 
lustrations 48, 49 and 50) and came to the sa- 
lute. (Illustration 51.) This was an effec- 
tive entrance and brought appleause. 

The Finish. We selected "The Cas- 
cade" to end the show. This is simple if 
you have learned to do the roll properly. All 
ran back to the cottage set on the stage. The 
curtain was dropped and the line formed be- 
hind it. The orchestra, which had stopped 
playing after the Horses, began a quick march. 
Up jumped the curtain, the class ran down the 
steps in single file, each one did two quick rolls 
and ran back to join the line again, until all 
had gone down the mat twice; then the line 
ran up the steps as quickly as possible, and 
down dropped the curtain. Simple but effec- 
tive. It was encored and then had two cui- 
tain calls, the class saluting. 

Now we have the beginning and the end, 
but the programme was monotonous. The 
two brother acts, Turner Brothers and Stires 
Brothers, helped; but something else was 



AT A BOARDING SCHOOL 69 

needed, so we put in a boxing act. The two 
biggest boys first, then two medium-sized, after 
that the two smallest. Each pair boxed one 
minute. The two bigger pairs were simply to 
introduce the last and smallest as explained in 
Chapter IV. This amused the audience a 
lot and helped to improve the programme. 

This is the programme as it was finally car- 
ried out, with two full-dress rehearsals to get 
the artists used to their tights and it will serve 
as a model for a forty-minute to one- 
hour entertainment, beginning with a slow, 
impressive Grande Entree, ending with a 
quick class act and broken by two pyramids 
and two brother acts and the boxing. 

TUMBLING CLASS 
CLOYNE HOUSE SCHOOL 

Newport, Rhode Island 

Thanksgiving, 19 15 

Stage Manager Mr. Kissam Kerr 

Director of the Orchestra Mr. J. L. Corydon 

Decorations Mr. Manuel Maitzo 

Lights Mr. Walter Hindry 

Costumes Newport Rubber Co. 



70 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

The Company 

Messrs. Lewis Kerr, Herbert Turner, Understanders; 

Arthur Stires, Tom Craven, Harden Crawford, 

Donald Carpenter, 
Cedric Carpenter, Craik Speed, Topmounters. 

Mr. Reginald Roland kindly coached the boxing. 





Ml 


[JSIC 




I. 


Grand Entree. 


8. 


Diving. The Fiery 


2. 


Roll and Salute. 




Hoop of Death. 




(The Class.) 




(The Class.) 


3- 


Horses. 


9. 


Cart-wheels. 


4. 


Headstands (four). 


10. 


Double Roll. 


5. 


Double 2-High Fall. 


II. 


Brother Act. 


6. 


Handwalklng Pairs. 


12. 


Boxing. 




The Wheelbarrow. 


13. 


Pyramids : Adoration. 




(The Class.) 




Path to the Stars. 


7. 


Brother Act. 


14. 


The Cascade. 
(The Class.) 



When the show finally came off, ask the boys 
if they were thrilled. It all went so fast that 
the hour seemed only a few minutes. Did the 
audience enjoy the show? Immensely — the 
remembrance of old circus days, the graceful 
little acts, the finish — the Cascade twice re- 
peated — they applauded a long time, those 
people who had seen everything. 



CHAPTER VI 

COSTUMES AND DISCIPLINE 

A costume consists of tights and shirt with 
sleeves, both of heavy standard cotton and 
trunks of so-called velvet. For the feet use 
well-fitting black sneakers. It is important 
that the sneakers should be neither too small 
nor too loose. If black sneakers are not at- 
tainable paint black any old pair. Expensive 
acrobatic shoes do not help and are not ap- 
propriate except for advanced work. The 
black colour fits in with any coloured costume 
except white. White tights are difficult to 
keep clean and should never be indulged in 
except for very advanced work. The best 
colours are black, crimson or blue for tights 
and shirt. Pink, light blue, and yellow do not 
look well except in silk. 

According to your taste use trunks of the 
same colour or not. Distinguish, however, 

the Topmounters as this looks well in pyra- 

71 



72 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

mids. It can be done by covering their trunks 
with gold or silver braid, or some such method. 
If a class performs and there are specialties it 
is a good plan for the specialties to change cos- 
tume, in w^hich case the programme must be 
arranged to give them time for the change. 

For heavy Understander w^ork, it is desir- 
able to use a Morton supporter or other type 
as it helps to prevent strains to the abdomen. 

Girls will know how to arrange an effective 
costume which should avoid anything to trip 
or entangle and the eternal sailor blouse which 
does not seem appropriate for the sawdust 
ring. 

In measuring tights, give chest, waist, hip 
measures and inside seam of leg; this last is 
the most important measure. If too short the 
tights are uncomfortable, if too long they will 
always wrinkle at the knees. 

The inside seam measure should be given 
one-half inch less than the exact measure. 
The size stocking used may be added. Shirt 
should be rather low in neck and with long 
sleeves. In putting on tights put them on 
gently and do not pull them out of shape. 



COSTUMES AND DISCIPLINE 73 

When on, fasten drawstring, put on a light 
narrow belt or cord and roll the tights around 
this until they are smooth. Shirt goes inside 
tights or under the belt and the trunks cover 
all. 

I have already spoken of the necessity for 
choosing a Stage Manager or Equestrian Di- 
rector and of obeying his or her orders ex- 
actly. This is invariably done by profession- 
als and is not from choice but from necessity; 
there is no other way to success. What the 
stage manager says ^^goes" emphatically. 
This is so important and hard to understand 
that it might be a good plan to print the rule 
at the head of each chapter of this book. One 
stage manager is better than another naturally, 
but any stage manager is better than none, 
just as any system of exercise is better than 
none. 

This comes out clearly, when you arrive at 
the question of make-up and costume. Only 
a very experienced professional can judge of 
the effect before an audience of these. The 
reason is simple enough. What is becoming 
and appropriate in a room appears differ- 



74 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

ently on the stage or in a ring on account of 
the difference in the effect of the lights and the 
position of the artist. There should never be 
less than two dress rehearsals before a show, 
and any order to change by the stage manager 
should be obeyed at once. Do not ask for 
reasons. If the stage manager does not think 
well of it that is enough. That is what the 
stage manager is for, the artist cannot see the 
effect as the stage manager does, and the man- 
ager is just as anxious for a good effect as the 
artist. 

Costume and make up effects copied from 
the real stage may look well or may not. 
There is one general rule to be observed. 
Nothing in the least bit vulgar should be per- 
mitted in these, — costume, make-up, jokes, or 
pantomime. 

Colours and styles must suit the artist on the 
stage and in the ring. Amateurs easily make 
mistakes on these two points which is not sur- 
prising for even professional stage managers 
who do not make mistakes are scarce. 

For a minstrel show, boys' and girls' or 
grown people's evening clothes with burnt 



COSTUMES AND DISCIPLINE 75 

cork on the face and black gloves on the hands 
may be used. 

Black gloves are better because black 
corked hands get everything dirty, but the 
hands can be blacked if gloves are unattain- 
able. If black cork is not used, some sort of 
costume or uniform or fancy dress appears 
well. A boy scout uniform, v^ith an Inter- 
locutor and four end men in fancy dress or 
burnt cork and evening clothes would be fine. 
The five in costume will show up the Scout 
clothes nicely. For acrobatic work in the 
ring nothing could be better than the costume 
shown in Chapter V. Of course, hair, hands 
and face should be nicely arranged. A dirty 
face or hands are apt to kill the effect. 

Clown costume is easy. The illustrations 
show two styles: 
A Clown Costume for $.75. 

Buy cheapest grade of cotton cloth twice the 
length from the neck of the clown to the 
ground. Double in the middle. Cut out hole 
for neck. Split up ends to form legs, sew up 
sides and insides of legs. Carry up split above 
knees far enough so you do not trip but not far 



76 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

enough to catch. Split the back down far 
enough so as to enter and put one button at 
top. Cut holes for arms and sew on straight 
sleeves. Each sleeve and leg should end in an 
elastic. The extra length pulled out makes a 
ruff around bottom of each leg and one around 
each sleeve. Ruffs for the neck may be white, 
green or red. 

Cut out little figures of animals or what you 
will of coloured muslin. Sew on the cotton 
cloth. Hat is ordinary coneshaped clown ef- 
fect made of pasteboard and white muslin 
with coloured dots pasted or sewed on. They 
may be purchased in New York for five cents. 

There are endless ways of varying this cos- 
tume. Half black or colour, with black or 
coloured dots, is effective. The sleeves may 
be made fuller than in the illustration; and 
one leg may be shorter than the other. If a 
strong yoke is sewed in the neck and the back 
opening and legs are reinforced, the costume 
will stand harder work. 



Clown caps, crepe paper, white with dots as in illustration 
No. 3411 and sparklers No. 20/5331, for the "Path to the Stars," 
at Shackman, 906 Broadway, New York. Costumes in illustra- 
tions, Newport Rubber Co., Newport, Rhode Island. 




26. Way to Shape a Clown Costume 
First cut and sewing. 





27. Clown Ruffs. Pair of 
Hoops. 



Russak 

28. Elephant Hook. Sample 
Buttons for Eves. 





29. 



EASY PYRAMIDS 



30. 




31. DEAD MAN 



1 


1 


^9 






^, ^^ " 


ip^ 


]k 


> z.~ W 


% 


< 


] 

1 


1 



32. PRACTISING HAND- 
BALANCE ON A CHAIR 

This has to be done without as- 
sistance and is advanced work. 



COSTUMES AND DISCIPLINE 77 

Clown Ruff 

Strip of crinoline or coarse mosquito netting 
seven to nine inches wide according to size of 
boy or girl. Fold it in accordion pleats one 
inch wide. First four one way, then four 
facing. Length of strip is 36 to 50 inches. 
Sew down the centre of outside face a tape. 
Length when pleated is length of boy's collar 
with tape over to tie. Colours : White, blue, 
green, or yellow. Pleated this way of stiff ma- 
terial, the ruff stands up as a Clown's ruff 
should. Other material may be used. Stiif 
mosquito netting is very good. Cost about 25 
cents. 



CHAPTER VII 

CLOWN WORK 

Clown Make-up. Here we have to con- 
sider where the clown is to work. In the big 
three-ring circuses the old-fashioned talking 
clown is unknown for the simple reason that he 
cannot be heard. A talking clown can only 
work in a one-ring circus or on a stage. There 
is, however, little he can do on the stage and 
his true field is in the old style sawdust ring. 
His jokes, his acts, and his costumes are de- 
signed for that, and there appear best. 

For over twenty years Ricardo Bell was not 
only the best clown, he was the best known and 
most popular man in all Mexico. His make- 
up never varied: hair built up to a peak in 
front, face covered with white, mouth outlined 
with red. The costume was the conventional 
Pierrot, sometimes with an old coat or a plug 
hat, with a large ruff around the neck. He 

78 



CLOWN WORK 79 

had a noble greafvoice. He worked always in 
Spanish, and the mother-in-law, the train, the 
photographer and all the other old jokes pro- 
duced a singular effect when you heard them 
so told. After hearing the same jokes for 
eight or nine years — each season, I asked him 
once why he did not give us something new. 
He said because the people wanted the old 
stuff — especially the gallery — and were not 
content unless they got it. So every year at the 
same season when the show came to Yucatan, 
he used each of the forty odd little acts, with 
the same jokes — the same points made in the 
same way, to the entire satisfaction of every- 
body. A great man Bell, — the greatest in his 
line I have seen. When he opened his mouth 
there was intense silence in the audience — 
when he stopped came a roar like the waves of 
the sea, waves of happy laughter; and so for 
eight or ten weeks, working ten times each 
week, and generally going on twice at each 
performance. A man of talent, he understood 
that to get the effect sought a clown has to 
laboriously perfect every little detail of voice, 
word, gesture and costume. Poorly applied 



8o AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

make-up is worse than none for a clown. To 
apply the red lines properly requires plenty 
of study and is generally beyond the amateur. 
For a boy, I prefer the Pierrot costume — ^wide 
and baggy. The hair built up to a peak in 
front with pomatum, and an old cutaway coat. 
But look out that it is either too big or too 
little. A plug hat is useful, but it also re- 
quires much study. It must be ^'foolish — not 
too foolish but just foolish enough." This 
saying applies to all clown costumes and 
make-up. 

The make-up intended for a circus tent is 
a bit too coarse for a gym or hall. Putting 
dabs of red in many places on the face gives- 
a poor effect! I have always found that the 
make-up of one heavy red spot about the size 
of a dollar is best unless the work is done be- 
hind strong footlights, in which case a little 
tint all over the cheeks looks well. 

As it is difficult to decide all these points 
without experience a mature friend with an 
artistic eye is invaluable. 

I have seen boys delightfully costumed and 
made up as clowns; but I have never seen it 



CLOWN WORK 8 1 

done by the boys themselves. Often they ap- 
pear simply silly — not clown-foolish. 

A grown-up clown cannot appear charming 
and never tries to; but a boy or girl may use 
the advantage of youth to take the place of the 
experience of professionals. With this ad- 
vantage, no elaborate make-up is necessary. 
A pretty girl of say sixteen makes a specially 
delightful clown. Grotesque feet and hands 
amount to little, and require great experience 
in their use. A simple funny make-up is 
all that is necessary; and the rest of the battle 
is drill, drill and more drill so that the jokes 
and points run smoothly. 

It is best to bar the slap stick. I have seen 
four boy clowns working in a Y. M. C. A. 
show who simply could not leave the slapstick 
alone they thought it so funny. Result, a 
bored audience. But any one who undertakes 
to be a clown must prepare for endless tedious 
practise, and here again the mature friend with 
artistic eye is invaluable — one who will at- 
tend many rehearsals and say "That does not 
go well," "Too long," "Too short," "Too 
slow," "Too fast," "Speak louder," "More 



82 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

action," 'Too wooden," '^Rotten." This is the 
sort of comment that results in a performance 
in which every point you make will be 
rewarded by a roar of laughter. 

Talking clowns, as a rule, work in twos; or 
if there is only one the ring master has to 
learn the dialogue and help him. 

A clown should know enough simple tum- 
bling to do a roll, a dive, and a headstand. If 
he can walk on his hands so much the better. 
If he learns the roll and dive — funny falls are 
easy. 

All circus and minstrel jokes are built the 
same way — a preliminary part to get the at- 
tention of the audience, and then the point. 
The principal clown delivers the point and 
must speak it clearly and not too fast so that it 
''gets over," as they say. If both clowns are of 
the same rank they take the point in turn. 

If there is one clown and he has an assistant 
or "feeder" the clown takes all the ppints. 
The other work consists of little acts such as 
"The Hotel" described in Chapter IV. In 
Chapter X there are printed a string of old 
time jokes most of which will do in the ring. 



CLOWN WORK 83 

Local jokes can be made up and tried out. If 
they do not succeed, cut them out at once. 

If the clown can play a violin, cornet or 
banjo, or sing, it is an effective change to do a 
bit of music, especially for an encore. 

As I have said, where the big 3-ring cir- 
cuses exist talking clowns are no longer known ; 
so the present generation of boys and girls, 
when they try clown work, are apt to do it in 
pantomime and for the most part fail! At the 
best they amuse only the children. In any 
ordinary Gym or one-ring tent a talking clown 
is better and easier to do. 

The explanation of this is that untrained 
boys cannot imitate well crack professionals. 
For that, years of training are needed ;. but in 
talking clown work youth and inexperience 
help rather than hinder. In pantomime work 
they are no help at all. 

The Reader 

A table and chair beside it are placed on the 
mat or sawdust. On the table is a newspaper, 
three crackers and a small-boy's air gun. 

First clown enters with a foolish grin and 



84 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

funny business — not too much. Finally sits 
down on chair resting one arm on table, be- 
coming absorbed in reading the paper. Sec- 
ond clown enters — funny business — a little — 
tiptoes up behind first clown and gently pulls 
out chair. First clown remains unmoved. 
Then No. 2 rubs his head and pulls away 
table. No i remains unmoved absorbed in 
paper, so disgusted No. 2 gives him a shove. 
Both do a back roll, paper and all. Business 
of grinning at each other. 

Chair Act. No. 2 puts the chair at edge 
of the mat. Bends forward and rolls over the 
floor. Without looking back he back rolls up 
on to the chair. He is so satisfied with this 
feat that he repeats it. While he is standing 
grinning with his back to the chair, No. i tip- 
toes up, moves the chair and sits down on it^ 
No. 2 rolls back, sits down and of course has a 
funny fall. Each has played a trick on the 
other. Both have to know how to do the 
back and front roll and funny falls. The mat 
is used so the falls are on it. 

Trick Rifle Shot. No. i takes position 
with air gun and a small mirror. No. 2 holds 





33' Fishface discovers Koko 
reading. 



34. Fishface pulls the chair away 
to give him a fall. 





35. Nothing happens so he 
pulls away the table. 



36. But to make him fall at last 
he has to shove him over. 



THE READER 




:i7- Fishface amuses himself 
rolling from the chair across the 
floor and hack. The second time 
Koko pulls away the chair. 





38. So Fishface gets a fall. 



39. And Koko triumphs. 

CLOWN ACT WITH CHAIR 



CLOWN WORK 85 

a cracker in his fingers. Both do funny busi- 
ness. No. I aims, makes a noise, and No. 2 
crushes cracker in his fingers. This trick 
would be better with dialogue; and as in all 
clown work, make the points clear and do not 
overdo it. 

It is customary for two clowns working to- 
gether to assume stage names. The two boys 
in the illustrations took the long used names of 
Koko and Fishface. The acts given in these 
photos with two spoken jokes run about eight 
minutes. One or two more jokes could be 
used and the encore will then bring it to ten or 
twelve minutes, which is long enough. Or, if 
desired, it can be split up into three short en- 
tries, an entry meaning an appearance before 
an audience. This is distinct clown work 
by itself either with or without dialogue. 
Clowns may also be used to advantage to help 
out an acrobatic act while the acrobats are 
resting in the familiar way of the bareback 
rider and the clown. The act in the illustra- 
tions may be given on a stage or in the ring; 
begins with "The Reader" (no dialogue) next 
the chair (with or without dialogue) then two 



86 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

or three spoken jokes and last " Hypnotism" 
(with or without dialogue) . 

The Dialogue for ^'Hypnotism" runs much 
this way. Clowns generally prefer to make up 
their own dialogue. 

KOKO. — Did you know that I am a hypno- 
tist? 

FiSHFACE. I did not. 

KOKO. (Illustration 40.) Come on and 
I'll show you. 

[^Drags him forward.^ 

Illus. 41. [To the audience.^ See how 
he's going under the influence. 

Illus. 42. KOKO. Now he is hypnotised. 
I can do anything I like with him. I'll stand 
him on his head. 

Illus. 43. [More business and talk.'] 

Illus. 44. KOKO puts FiSHFACE back on his 
feet, [To the audience.] Observe the per- 
fect control. 

[Slaps his face.'] 

KOKO. Perfect control. Yes, sir. Perfect 

control. [Slaps FiSHFACE again.] 

[This is the point. The return slap of 






43 
HYPNOTISM 




Fishface: "You said it." 
(Returns the slap with a great 
big smacker.) 



KoKo: "Complete control. I 
can do anything I like." 
{Slaps him.) 




45 
HYPNOTISM 




46. THE SERENADE (ENCORE) 

"My little old grey cabin in the West" 



Russak 



CLOWN WORK 87 

Koko by Fishface must be quick and make a 
great noise.~\ 

Fishface. [^Loudly.'] (Illustration 45.) 
You said it. \_Slap5 Koko, Both do a back- 
roll and grin.~\ 

If an encore is won, ^'The Serenade" is 
given, of one or two pretty sentimental songs. 

Koko must have learned to do a backroll, 
the pantomime work and his side of the jokes. 
In the songs he sings a second part. Koko is 
the No. I clown, although in this act the work 
is quite evenly divided between No. i and No. 
2 clown. 

Fishface has to do a backroll and stand on 
his head; then do the pantomime work and 
dialogue and sing soprano in the two songs. 

The jokes may be chosen from the list given 
in Chapter X. 

Koko leads off with the '^Boiled Egg" joke. 

The club is used as a guitar. 



CHAPTER VIII 

FAKE ELEPHANT. FAKE LION ACT. 
THRILLERS 

A practical way of improving a programme 
is to use a fake elephant. With the aid of 
Baby Jumbo you can make a most attractive 
act for the clown. But the effect largely de- 
pends upon the way Jumbo is built. If the 
proportions are correct, that is if they are nat- 
ural, the illusion will be impressive. 

The design here given is for an elephant 
6' 4'' to 6' 6" high, depending on the height of 
the boys in the front and hind legs and is 
drawn from photographs and information, 
kindly given at the Museum of Natural His- 
tory, New York. Taking leg boys about 5' t" 
in height, then Jumbo will be a little over 6' 4^' 
and the other proportions are correct. 

ELEPHANT HOOK 
The elephant is an animal possessing great 
strength. If he gets away from you he can 



FAKE ELEPHANT 89 

easily do much damage. Therefore you need 
for Baby Jumbo an elephant hook with which 
to control him. One may be made for twenty- 
five to fifty cents like this (illustration 28). 
Fix a place behind the ear for the clown to 
hook it in when leading him on. 

Having a hook to control him we will pro- 
ceed to build the elephant. 

Head 21'' x 14'' extreme width, x 12" 

Backward slope from top of head to point where 

trunk begins to be attached 2" 

Height over all 6' 4'' 

Length over all 6' 4" 

Length on back from forehead 6' 

Extreme thickness of elephant 23'' 

Length of trunk, about 5' 

Length of ear 2' 

Width of ear \' ^" 

Foreleg, floor to stomach 2' 

Back leg, floor to stomach 2' z" 

Length of tail 3' 

Backbone 4' 

Forehead to end of backbone 2' 

Length of stomach between legs 3' 

Length of neck i' 

End of backbone down to tail slope 2" 

Diameter of feet, about 12" 

The following are the specifications from 
the drawings: 



90 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Backbone. One piece wood 4' x 3" x 2" thick 

Neck and insertion in skull. One 



piece wood 2' x 2" x i 



2 



Face of skull. One piece wood. ... 21'' x 14" x i" 

Two sidepieces of skull 12" x i'' x shaped 

Top of skull. One piece to size. 

Two iron frames to bolt to backbone, to rest on shoul- 
ders of leg-boys, padded at the shoulder ends and 
strapped around the chest. 

One spring 12" X2j^" widex ^" thick, bored with four 
y^" bolt holes. 

Ribs to suit. 

Two pairs of old rubber or leather boots, large size, to 
take boy's foot in sneaker. 

Two buttons for eyes. 

Cotton cloth, say 10 yards, single width, and cotton wool 
or excelsior for stuffing. 

5 ft. piece of old rubber hose. 

Dark grey drugget cloth for skin, say 10 yards, single 
width. 

Cost of elephant inside of $15. 

Assembling all the materials, bolt the iron 
frames to the backbone in the right position 
and secure all this on a couple of saw-horses 
while building. The head — Trim out the 
head on the sides between the cheekbones and 
the forehead. It is this hollowing of the out- 
line of the face that largely gives the effect of 
age and pathos to an elephant's face. Shape 
the side pieces and nail to the face piece. 



FAKE ELEPHANT 91 

Nail on top of the head. Nail, or screw 
strongly into the head the neck piece, letting 
twelve inches project for the neck. Now tack 
on cotton cloth, stuffing it to give the rounded 
protuberances of the forehead and the begin- 
ning of the trunk. iBuild in the eyes with 
large appropriate buttons (artificial eyes cost 
too much) surrounded with a glistening white 
space made of white kid from an old glove. 
The shape of the eyes will be fixed when you 
put on the skin and eyelids of grey cloth. 
Only the upper eyelid moves as the lower eye- 
lid of an elephant is immobile against the 
bone. Mould the trunk and carry down the 
cotton cloth so as to cover the rubber hose. 
Fasten in the hose so that the loose end shall be 
about one inch above the ground when the 
head is level; then stuff around to proper 
shape, and cover neatly with cotton cloth. 
With four bolts fasten the spring on top of the 
neck and backbone. Then you can unbolt the 
head from inside if you wish to crate the ele- 
phant. The spring is to give the characteris- 
tic up and down swing of the head when the 
front boy pushes it up and down with a stick. 



92 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

If the spring is too flexible insert a pad of 
rubber between end of backbone and neck- 
bone. This produces a more dignified mo- 
tion. The rubber hose in the trunk should 
project into the neck about a foot, so that the 
front boy may blow through it and use it to 
move the trunk around. With swaying of the 
trunk and the up and down motion of the head, 
you can imitate the restless movement of 
an elephant chained in his stall. Also you 
can blow a piece of paper around the floor. 
Fasten a fine piece of gut to the end of the 
trunk and bring it up through the mouth. By 
pulling on this the elephant will appear to put 
his trunk in his mouth, especially if a wire 
hook be hidden in the end of the trunk, which 
will catch and carry up to the mouth some 
wisps of hay. 

Bend and fasten to the backbone say nine 
ribs on a side, although he can get along with 
less, shaping them up conveniently. 

Cover and stuff out neck, body and legs. 

Legs. Take two pairs of large old boots, 
stuff around and cover to elephant shape. In 
doing this, the boys who are to be front-legs 



FAKE ELEPHANT 93 

and back-legs must put on the shoulder sup- 
ports and get into the boots. 

Then measurements may be made and a 
frame arranged to hold up the supports when 
boys are not inside. Shape and stuff the tail. 
Make and stuff the ears, fastening so that they 
fall back flat against the head. Insert into 
each ear a stick projecting inside the head, so 
arranged that a string carried back to the hind- 
legs boy enables him to flap forward either or 
both ears. A similar stick in the tail enables 
him to swing that sideways. 

Another pair of strings attached to the upper 
eyelid enables the hind-legs boy to wink the 
eyes. Front-legs boy manages head and trunk. 
Hind-legs ears, tail and eyelids. Baby Jumbo 
can dance, sit down (hind-legs sits down) 
walk, swing his head up and down, swing his 
trunk sideways and all around, blow a piece of 
paper on the floor, put hay in his mouth, wag 
his ears, and wink his eyes. 

When all is fastened and properly stuffed, 
cover with this cheap blue grey drugget. In 
some places it may be tacked on, in others 
sewed and in others glued. Try to make join- 



94 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

ings where wrinkles naturally should be and 
pinch the cloth up a bit or paint wrinkles over 
seams. Shape the eyelids properly, put small 
wires in the edges and fasten the upper eyelid 
with elastic, arranging the strings to wink 
them. 

Fasten around the right foreleg an iron ring 
(polished by much use) to which Jumbo's 
chain is attached when he is in his stall. 

Put on enough ribs and pad them so your 
elephant will not seem too starved and perhaps 
get the S. F. T. P. C. T. A. after you. 

The cloth skin must be perfectly smooth 
over the head but naturally wrinkled in the 
proper places. A hole along the bottom of the 
belly admits the boys and can be buttoned up. 

A tuft of coarse black hair at the end of the 
tail and little patches gummed on the cloth 
and a few eyelashes will improve baby 
Jumbo's looks. 

A little grey and black paint about the head 
will also make baby Jumbo more beautiful. 
Do the best you can with the eyes, which are 
difficult. The ears are easy. 

If you can get a naturalist to help you so 



FAKE ELEPHANT 95 

much the better. If not, get hold of a book 
about elephants, with pictures. The mouth 
need not open and can be shown with paint or 
cloth. It is surprising how natural Jumbo 
will seem when he makes his bow if your 
dimensions of the skeleton are correct. Two 
small holes in front and two aft enable the boys 
to see. As this elephant is designed to go 
through an ordinary door, he is a bit too thin. 
He can easily be made fatter by pushing out 
the ribs. 

Jumbo should be exhibited by the clown — 
if there is one. If not by some one in evening 
dress. He can work on the stage or better in 
the ring. The first part of Jumbo's act should 
be as serious as if he were real, and the boys 
should try to make his movements perfectly 
natural. 

Later on he can do foolish and impossible 
things. For example: first part. Seesaw on 
a plank, sit on a chair. Second, disobey the 
trainer. Walk twice over the trainer lying 
down; second time, sit on him, etc. Jumbo 
dances. Hind legs keep on when front are 
commanded to stop, etc. 



96 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

The elephant will be more durable if cov- 
ered with light canvas instead of cotton before 
the skin cover is stretched on, and instead of 
grey blue drugget, blue denim may be used to 
cover him, but the colour will not be so cor- 
rect. The true colour of an elephant is a 
dirty blue grey. If denim is used, rub it all 
over with dirt and then brush it off. That 
will tone down the blueness. 

Fake Lion Act. This must be given on 
the stage. Build as natural and strong look- 
ing a cage as you can, not less than six feet high 
inside. The door must work well with a great 
clatter. Three or four small boys each in as 
good an imitation of a lion skin and head as 
.possible. The trainer should appear in eve- 
ning costume or a uniform. He carries a big 
whip. (See Hagenback and Bostock books 
on training wild animals, in any public li- 
brary.) This should be a short quick act. 

Before the curtain rises have all the com- 
pany roar like lions behind the stage. The 
orchestra begins incidental music, the curtain 
rises, the trainer bows magnificently and en- 
ters the cage with many precautions and much 





48. Floor Roll No. i 



49. Floor Roll No. 2 



9^ 


;« — 

■ »3 




^^^^ 


^^r^'^^^^ 


^ 


Ki^ 






50. Floor Roll No. 3 



Russak 

51. Floor Roll No. 4 



After learning to roll on the mat this is the way to roll on a hard 
floor without a mat. The arms protect the neck dind back. 



The 

Innocent 

Child 

Act. 

Class 

dives 

through 

on to 

mat. 




more 
difficult 
as hoop 
is higher. 



ADVANCED WORK 

Boys in class like to give fine names to tricks. This was named 
"The Innocent Child" as the small boy with the hoop might get a 
swift kick if the diver is careless or mischievous and he is therefore 
placed with his back to tlie diver so he will not flinch. As a matter 
of course only practised divers are allowed to try it. 

The si)ectacle of the small bov on the mat holding the hoop always 
makes the class laugh, the opportunity is clear and tempting. The 
low i)Osition is much easier than the high. 



FAKE ELEPHANT 97 

evident fear while the lions jump around and 
charge the bars. Trainer puts them through 
an act, makes as much funny business as he 
can, and slips out taking more precautions. 

Two or three attendants behind the cage 
with long bars assist, to protect the trainer. 
Trainer bows (to applause if all is well done) . 
Do not encore this act. If it goes very well, 
for an encore line up the lions on the stage 
holding their heads in their paws and bowing 
their natural heads with pleased grins on their 
faces, the trainer posing with a proud air in 
the centre. 

Run the curtain up and down quickly once 
or twice. 

There are more fake animal acts practical 
but space fails to describe them. 

Fake Thrillers are sensational acts, or 
rather imitations of sensational acts, for the 
very sufficient reason that amateurs are not 
permitted to take big risks and real thrillers 
invariably are risky — that is what gives the 
thrill. 

Example : The Boy Shot Out of a Can- 
non. Prepare what looks like a cannon out 



98 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

of painted canvas and a wooden frame, sur- 
round this with a low canvas screen. High 
up in the roof of the Gym or tent is a platform, 
screened by a curtain. With much ceremony 
and an elaborate speech the boy is put head 
first into the cannon, then business of pointing 
and levelling it goes on while the boy crawls 
out of the cannon and runs around outside, 
getting up behind the curtain on the little 
platform. 

As soon as he is in position a light charge 
making much smoke and noise is fired off from 
the cannon and the boy instantly appears from 
behind the curtain or better between the two 
curtains. If all this is done smartly, the trick 
will not be at once discovered by many in the 
audience. 

When I saw it done in Brooklyn, however, 
the details were not well managed. You 
could see the boy's feet while he was waiting 
for the cannon to go off, as the curtains were 
too short, so there was no illusion except for 
pretty small children. 



CHAPTER IX 

TRAINING ANIMALS 

You are not likely to attempt to train wild 
animals. They are always dangerous and re- 
quire too much time. The same is true of 
elephants, and seals are hard to get and harder 
to take care of. The amateur is reduced to 
horses, pigs, geese, cats, and dogs. 

The horse is the most stupid of all domesti- 
cated animals, perhaps, and has an unreliable 
memory. I recall Roland the Great. This 
horse had been on the stage for six years. One 
day the owner of Roland, much excited, came 
to see me. 

*What you t'ink," he said; "that fool horse 
has forgotten his act, and we're on the bill to- 
morrow night." Which meant that Roland 
the Great had mixed up the signals. 

It appeared that the Act had just arrived in 
Yucatan and had been at sea for six days dur- 

99 



loo AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

ing which, naturally, there was no opportunity 
to rehearse. 

^Whatwillyoudo?" 

'^Do! I rehearse all day to-morrow and see 
if that fool horse can remember his act." He 
went off gloomily, talking to himself, and it 
looked like a bad time for Roland. 

Now the signals taught to an educated horse 
must be so slight as not to be seen by the audi- 
ence. 

I later learned that Roland had to remem- 
ber only three signals, one to paw his feet, one 
to swing his head up and down, which meant 
"yes," and the third to swing his head side- 
ways; that meant "no." The pawing of the 
foot was for counting. He was a beautiful 
white horse, too stupid to be afraid of an audi- 
ence. The professor must have enlightened 
him, for the next night I saw him at the circus, 
and he made only two or three mistakes. Of 
course, he was immensely advertised as a won- 
derful "Educated Horse." 

Cats are difficult and unreliable. I am told 
there are only two good cat acts to-day in the 
United States. 



TRAINING ANIMALS loi 

The amateur will probably choose a dog. 
In arranging an act with a dog in it he 
is taught to do certain things, and the rest 
the trainer does. For instance, if there 
is dialogue introduced, you give him a 
signal, and he barks, and you talk so that 
his bark is an answer, so. "Do you want 
to dive for the ladies, Billy?" Signal. 
Billy barks. "Come on then." Holds a hoop 
out. 

You fire a gun at him. He falls down and 
pretends to be dead, and so on. 

The Rabbit Hunt. Mr. Phil Daly, one 
of the Barnum and Bailey clowns, in 1915 had 
two dogs who did this. Each dog wore a rab- 
bit head over his own, fastened around the 
neck, and with holes to see through. The 
clown was made up as a hunter. The two 
dogs trotted a little way behind him. When 
he turned and fired at the supposed rabbits 
both dogs lay down and played dead. As 
soon as he went on, they jumped up and fol- 
lowed him. The rabbit heads are made of 
cloth painted, and have large upstanding ears. 
The effect is very good, but depends upon the 



I02 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

dog dropping dead and getting up again at the 
right moment. 

If you can train three or four dogs, it is easy 
to make an act for the stage. A fire company, 
etc. 

Birds are all difficult for lack of intelli- 
gence, except the sulphur-crested cockatoo. 
They are difficult also on account of liability 
to illness. Pigs are hard to train because they 
are so obstinate. Geese have very little intelli- 
gence. 

Monkeys also suffer much from illness and 
are very unsteady. To train an ape is an end- 
less job, besides which they bite badly. 

To teach a dog to play dead until begets his 
signal is not so very difficult, if you are patient 
and practise steadily every day; or to teach 
him to sit up and beg, to stand on his head, to 
walk on his hind or front legs, to jump over 
something or through hoops, and do the high 
jump. Your dog must not be too old and 
must not be overfed. It is not necessary to 
whip him, unless he is sulky and will not obey. 
When he understands he will almost always 
try to do what you want him to do. But it is 



TRAINING ANIMALS 103 

necessary to reward him, with caresses and 
praises and a lump of sugar or something he 
likes. Regular everyday lessons are the thing, 
and the more he learns, the faster he will learn. 

A dog is very useful in building up a clown 
act or a tumbling act, as explained in the act 
called "The Sanreyes." 

I would suggest for amateur work the fol- 
lowing training. Bring the dog to the prac- 
tise place and teach him to sit at one side or on 
a chair until called out to work. This is for 
hrm the same as the discipline for boys and 
girls of which I have said so much. If he 
leaves his place without being called, scold 
him; but never hit him. When practise is 
over reward him. He should sit up all the 
time, and not lie down. 

As soon as he understands and does this 
properly begin to teach him, trying only one 
thing at a time, and not attempting another 
until he has learned the first. First, the roll : 
teach this just as you would to a boy, explain- 
ing kindly, bending his head and front legs 
and rolling him over. Patiently giving les- 
son after lesson, some day he will get the idea 



I04 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

and do it himself. Form in his case is of no 
importance, so as soon as he gets a roll over at 
the signal, nothing more is required. 

Then teach him to stand on his head and 
front legs ; next, to walk on his hind or front 
legs. Here, you must hold him up all the 
time. Do not forget to praise him and reward 
him with sugar or something else the first few 
times he does well. Next, or before the last 
trick, teach him to sit balanced on your head, 
to jump on your back and walk up to your 
head. A more difficult thing is to teach him 
to do a back air turn. In this it is necessary 
to use a small mechanic fitted to him and 
strapped around the chest. Never let him get 
bumped. Tell him to jump; and when he 
jumps, throw him over, precisely as you would 
help a boy. All of these foregoing tricks are 
for a small dog about the size of a fox terrier. 

A larger dog can learn to do the roll, hoop 
diving, and high jumping. In hoop diving 
it is unnecessary to teach him to do a roll after 
diving through the hoop. Give him one 
hoop, then two, and lastly three held a little 
apart. In the jumping, of course, he begins 



1 



TRAINING ANIMALS 105 

on a low jump ; then takes a higher and so on 
to his top point, landing always on a mat. 

If the act with the dog follows on the pro- 
gramme after the class diving, the hoop diving 
by the dog will be better appreciated by an 
audience. If the dog is taught to go first 
through an empty hoop or two and then breaks 
a paper covered hoop he is sure of applause. 

All of these acts described can be done by a 
fox terrier so that if there is any choice this is 
the best kind of dog to select. Even when the 
dog has learned only two tricks he can be 
used in a typical act like ^^The Sanreyes," pro- 
vided he has learned his discipline and cues 
first. After he has learned to take his place 
and obey his cues the order of teaching the 
tricks and the tricks taught may be varied ac- 
cording to the need of the proposed act. It 
is the discipline of the dog that is essential. 
After that is obtained with patience any 
needed trick may be taught. The less punish- 
ment and scolding the better. A dog in good 
health is almost invariably willing to practise 
and learn and it should not be forgotten that 
before an audience, just as boys and girls, he 



io6 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

is apt to be excited. If several dogs are work- 
ing together, again like boys and girls they be- 
come jealous and quarrelsome. It is uncer- 
tain whether they understand applause from 
an audience; but it is perfectly clear that a 
good performer knows his cues and is wildly 
anxious to do his trick well. The dog and the 
elephant, once they have learned an act, never 
forget it. Indeed it is difficult to get an ele- 
phant to change the order of tricks and cut 
one out. With this done, they are apt to re- 
fuse to go on, so that no one thinks of shorten- 
ing or lengthening an elephant act unexpect- 
edly. Both elephant and dog at times will 
practise their tricks alone. 

But you can rely on Baby Jumbo described 
in Chapter VIII after he has been rehearsed 
two or three times ; he will do his act correctly 
whenever desired. 



CHAPTER X 

THE OLD-FASHIONED MINSTREL SHOW 

The old-fashioned negro minstrel show was 
a delightful entertainment. Have the mov- 
ing pictures killed it or is it that the talented 
artists find better paid employment elsewhere? 
I wonder. Certainly the combination of 
lovely music and good old time-tested jokes 
made many people happy. 

A minstrel show is impossible unless you 
have the voices. Songs poorly sung have no 
value. It also requires a lot of practise. 

If the talent is available, a minstrel show 

may be used alone or as a short act on the stage 

or an afterpart It is not suitable for the 

circus ring. This is a sample programme for 

a show about two hours long, but of course 

the songs must depend on what the company 

can sing. 

107 



io8 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

ALL STAR MINSTRELS 

First Part 
Opening Chorus. "Swanee River." Entire Company. 

Jokes by end man. 
Song. "Mary, you're a big girl now." John Smith. 

Jokes by end man. 
Song. "Mandy, how do you do." Harry Jones. 

Conundrums by end man. 
Song. "Garden of Roses." Quartette. 

Jokes by end man. 
Song. "Put on your old grey bonnet." Wm. Brown. 

Jokes by end man. 
Song. "Sometime, Somewhere." John Smith. 

Conundrums by end man. 
Song. "Sugar Moon." Harry Jones. 

Jokes by end man. 
Finale. Entire Company. 



Second Part 

Monologue or Stump speech. John Smith. 

Sketch. "Black Magic." Smith and Jones. 

Dancing, Banjo or guitar specialty. Harry Brown. 
After-piece. "Captain Swell." 

The old-fashioned negro minstrel costume 
is rather elaborate. The quartette, or singers, 
should wear full evening dress suits with white 
waistcoats, black ties, and standing collar's, 
white gloves, and boutonniere, and black dress 
wigs instead of the common wigs. The end 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 109 

men should wear fancy coloured ties and cos- 
tumes, comic wigs, — in fact anything to make 
them look eccentric — the more burlesque the 
better. For boys, all wigs may be omitted. 

In the matter of making up the face, use 
only the best prepared burnt cork, which can 
be obtained from any dealer in theatrical face- 
preparations or can be made by burning and 
charring corks. Moisten the hands with 
water and take a small quantity of the cork, 
rubbing it in the palm of your hands until it 
becomes a thin paste, then apply to the skin; 
when it dries, brush the surface gently with 
some soft substance. Another and more eco- 
nomical way, if there are several to be made 
up, is to get a couple of small paint brushes 
and, after mixing your burnt cork in a dish 
with water until it is about as thick as cream, 
have two men paint the faces of the others, 
and in this way save a lot of time. Never 
mix the burnt cork with anything but water. 
If you wish to represent an old darkey, use 
white chalk or grease paint under the eyes and 
for the wrinkles, and iron grey hair for the 
eyebrows and beard. Be sure and have the 



no AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

burnt cork even around the mouth and eyes. 
If you wish to have the lips a deeper red, or 
larger for the end men, use carmine grease 
paint. Running it down produces a surly 
expression. 

For getting the cork off the face, I do not 
advise the use of grease or cold cream of any 
kind, as it washes off perfectly well with the 
aid of plenty of soap and water. Get a good 
lather and use a sponge. 

In preparing a show for public entertain- 
ment there are several very important details 
to bear in mind. It is necessary to impress 
upon those who are to take part the absolute 
importance of being on time at the rehearsals, 
for the late ones cause uneasiness and impa- 
tience that greatly interferes with the show. 

Select some member to act as stage-manager, 
with whom must rest all power behind the 
curtain. It should be his duty to regulate the 
hours of rehearsals, to arrange for the prbper 
"settings" of the stage, to make up the order 
of the programme, to settle any little misun- 
derstanding that may arise as he may best 
consider for the general interest of the per- 



THE MINSTREL SHOW in 

formance, and his orders should go in every 
detail of matters concerning the stage. 

Two or three dress rehearsals are necessary 
to insure a perfect performance, when every 
one taking part should dress for each char- 
acter they are to assume and make themselves 
up precisely as they intend to do at the regu- 
lar performance so that any defects, if they 
exist, may be corrected. The entire pro- 
gramme ought to be given from the ringing 
up and the going down of the curtain with the 
same care in every detail as at the perform- 
ance. After the rehearsal it is well to cor- 
rect the faults immediately, while they are 
fresh in the minds of the actors. 

Arrange your circle of chairs, placing the 
interlocutor in the middle. Have the second 
row of chairs on a staging high enough so that 
those sitting on them can rest their feet on the 
rounds of the chairs in the first row, and the 
third row in the same manner. 

When it has been decided to have a minstrel 
show, if you do not have a professional coach 
get a good musician or piano player to pull 
your company together. Sing a few practise 



112 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

songs so as to sort out the voices. Pick out 
the end men, and if you decide to have a quar- 
tette, or even a double quartette, have them 
practise their ^^turns" or songs together in 
addition to the regular rehearsals; they can- 
not do too much rehearsing, for the end men, 
especially, should work together like clock 
work. If you have six end men, four of them 
will no doubt be good singers ; the others can 
get along all right by talking the songs, this 
often being found very effective. If you want 
to make a hit with an amateur show, make it 
short and run it like lightning. 

Minstrel shows are one of the most popular 
forms of amusements and give a better chance 
for members of a club, lodge or college to pre- 
sent their talent before the public than any- 
thing else ; and a great variety of settings can 
be used and made either simple or elaborate. 
For instance if you do not care for the circle, 
you can have the stage arranged as the deck of 
a boat or as a southern plantation, or as a ^^roof 
garden." If you have military or scout uni- 
forms, a "camp scene" is very effective, also 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 113 

a ^'banquet scene" with the company all sitting 
around the table. 

The end men should be selected with the 
greatest care, as the success of the show de- 
pends largely on them. The jokes should be 
practised over and over again, every one get- 
ting thoroughly used to them and the man- 
ner of telling them, so that when you face the 
audience you will not lose your self-control. 
Always appear amused, and have a good 
time with the audience when telling the sto- 
ries. 

The interlocutor, or middle-man, is another 
most important part. He should be a boy or 
man with a dignified manner, taking plenty of 
time and working up the joke until it is ready 
for the point which the end man gives in his 
answer. He should have the entire pro- 
gramme and "cues" for the jokes and songs on 
his fan or paper, as the responsibility of the 
show is on his shoulders. 

The following jokes were printed fifty 
years ago. For how many generations they 
have amused people — no man knows. They 



114 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

survive in the circus ring, I suppose, because 
the humour is elemental. Good old enduring 
jokes, they will be found useful and in the ring 
or on the stage are serviceable where really 
finer, fresher wit would not do at all. They 
may be used for negro minstrel work or for 
clown work in the ring. 

This one used before the rider jumps 
through the paper covered hoop may be 
changed, if a clown works with a tumbling 
class, to use with hoop diving. 

Ned. — What is he going to do with the bal- 
loon? 

Master. — Jump through it. 

Ned. — What, horse and all? 

Master. — No, you blockhead, the rider. 

Ned. — ^Without bursting the paper? 

Master. — Certainly; he will have to burst 
the paper in order to jump through it. 

Ned. — I can jump through it without burst- 
ing the paper. 

Master. — Impossible, sir. 

Ned. — I'll bet you five dollars. 

Master. — Done, I will take the bet. 

Ned. — All right. Hold up the balloon. 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 115 

(Master turns his back to the clown and holds 
up the balloon.) Are you all ready? 

Master. — Yes, sir. 

Ned. — (Catches boy from among the audi- 
ence, throws him through the balloon, then 
jumps through himself.) There, sir, I won 
the bet; I did not burst the paper. (Boy runs 
out of ring, very much frightened.) 

The Men We Want 

Ned. — The horse has stopped. I suppose 
there is more work for me? 

Master. — Yes, sir, see what the rider 
wants. 

Ned. — There are a great many things 
wanted nowadays. I saw, by this morning's 
papers, that Harry Gennett is wanted, not by 
the people to serve them in office, but by the 
sheriff, to serve the people in prison. What 
the people want is honest men in office to serve 
them. 

God gives men! A time like this demands 
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and 

steady hands ; 
Men whom the lust of office does not kill. 



ii6 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; 
Men who possess opinions and a will ; 
Men who have honour ; men who will not lie ; 
Men who can stand against a demagogue 
And damn his treacherous flatteries without 

winking; 
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog 
In public duty, and in private thinking; 
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn 

creeds, 
Their large professions and their little deeds, 
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom sleeps, 
Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice 

weeps. 

Why are young ladies like arrows? 
Because they can't go off without a bow 
(beau) , and are in a quiver till they get one. 

Why is a pawnbroker like an inebriate? 

Because he takes the pledge, but cannot al- 
ways keep it. 

Love 

Ned. — Miraculous! wonderful! That lit- 
tle child is so handsome and talented that a 
person cannot help loving him. 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 117 

Master — What is love? 

Ned. — Love is a small decoction of electric 
fluid, bound up in a woman's heart and dealt 
out in small quantities to suit purchasers. I 
take about a dime's worth twice a week. But 
of all the love affairs in the world, none can 
surpass the true love of a big boy for his 
mother. It is a love pure and honourable in 
the highest degree to both. I do not mean 
merely a dutiful affection — I mean a love that 
makes a boy gallant and courteous to his 
mother, saying to everybody, plainly, that he 
is fairly in love with her. Next to the love of 
her husband, nothing so crowns a woman's 
life with honour as this second love, this de- 
votion of a son to her. I never yet knew a boy 
to turn out bad, who began by falling in love 
with his mother; but show me a son who does 
not love his mother and I will show you a boy 
that is fit for the gallows. 

Master. — You seem to understand all 
about love. 

Ned. — I do, for I have been there. 

Master. — And pray how did you feel? 

Ned. — I felt as though I was away up in the 



ii8 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

clouds between two wheat cakes, and a lot of 
little angels were pouring molasses all over 
me. 

Master. — Well, how do you feel when the 
young lady gives you the mitten? 

Ned. — Then you don't feel quite so good; 
you feel as though there was a lot of little 
devils up there licking the molasses all off 
again. 

Contentment 

Master. — Come, sir, stop that foolishness, 
and find contentment by assisting those gentle- 
men. 

Ned. — Find contentment? That is some- 
thing that I have been hunting for for some 
time, and I found it at last. It's an imaginary 
place laid down on the map, but it has not 
been settled yet; and those reach it soonest who 
throw away their compass and go it blind. 

When is a butterfly like a kiss? 
When it alights on tulips. 

What kind of money do ladies prefer? 
Matri-money. 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 119 

When should a tavern keeper visit an iron 
foundry? 

When he wants a bar made. 

Why is the letter U the gayest in the alpha- 
bet? 

Because it is always in fun. 

Why is Sunday the strongest? 
Because all the others are week-d2iy%. 
Yes, but it is often broken. 

Why is a rich man like a dog's tail? 
Because the rich man keeps a carriage and 
the dog's tail keeps a wagging (waggon). 

How do you measure your lover's sincerity? 
By his sighs. 

What requires more philosophy than tak- 
ing things as they come? 

Parting with them as they go. 

When was beef-steak the highest? 
When the cow jumped over the moon. 



I20 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Another one to be used with hoop diving is 

Whooping Cough. 

Ned. — Do you call this a hoop? 
Master.— Yes, sir. 

Ned. — Did I have a thing like that in me 
when I had the whooping cough? 
Master. — Nonsense, sir. 

Two Noah Jokes 

When was pork first introduced into the 
navy? 

When Noah brought Ham into the ark. 

What is the difference between Noah's Ark 
and Joan of Arc? 

One was made of wood, the other was Maid 
of Orleans. 

Sportsman 

Ned. — You put me in mind of a nobby 
sportsman, with that whip in your hand. 

Master. — How so? 

Ned. — iBecause when he goes a fishing he 
has a long pole with a string attached to it, 
and there is a fool at one end of it, and a worm 
at the other. 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 121 

Master. — (Whips.) I am no fool, sir. 
Ned. — Then you must be the worm. 

What is the difference between a hungry 
man and a glutton? 

One longs to eat, and the other eats too long. 

What plant is fatal to mice? 
The cat-nip. 

Wanted 

A mile-post from the road to death. 
A finger to fit the ring of a laugh. 
A smile from the face of a clock. 
A needle and thread to sew a patch on the 
pants of a tired dog. 

A suit of clothes to fit a large body of water. 

Some moss from the rock of a cradle. 

A plank from the bridge of a man's nose. 

Some yarn to knit a person's brow. 

A nut from a thunderbolt. 

A cure for a pane of glass. 

A rafter from the roof of the mouth. 

Some teeth from the jaws of death. 

A crust from the roll of the ocean. 

The chair in which the sun sets. 



122 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

A fence made from the railing of a scolding 
wife. 

An egg from the nest of thieves. 

A horse to travel round the course of love. 

A spark from the blazing eyes of a tigress. 

A head to fit a w^reath of smiles. 

A wag from the tail of a dog. 

A leg from a duck of a bonnet. 

A pupil from the eye of a needle. 

Another Hoop Joke 
son of a gun 

Ned. — Master, do you know that I came 
very near being a soldier? 

Master. — How so? 

Ned. — To-day a little boy called me a son 
of a gun, and the little fellow is right. 

Master. — And why was he right? 

Ned. — Because I came in a direct line from 
a good old stock. Speaking of soldiering, are 
you a good shot? 

Master. — I am. 

Ned. — Well, I will bet you five dollars that 
if I take this hoop and stand right here (stand- 
ing on the bank of the ring) , and you go over 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 123 

to the opposite side of the ring, that you cannot 
walk up to me and put your finger into this 
hoop. 

Master. — You will lose your money. 

Ned.— Will you bet? 

Master. — Yes, sir, as I am certain to win. 
(Master takes his position, and walks toward 
Ned with his arm extended, pointing for the 
centre of the hoop.) 

Ned. — Hold up, you must close your eyes. 

Master. — I did not make that bargain. 

Ned. — ^Well, I will give you a chance for 
your money. I will keep talking all the time, 
but you must keep your eyes closed. 

Master. — All right. (Closes eyes and 
walks toward Ned.) 

Ned. — A little more to the right, now to the 
left, now you are all right; walk straight 
ahead. (Master walks up, puts his finger 
through the hoop into Ned's mouth. Ned 
bites his finger, makes hurried exit.) 

Fool 
Master. — Come, get up on that pedestal, 
you fool. 



124 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Ned. — How do you know that I am a fool? 
Master. — I see it in your face. 
Ned. — ^Well, that's the first time that I 
knew that my face was a looking-glass. 

When do ladies carry fire? 
When they have taper fingers. 

Pet Names 

Ned. — Master, are you fond of pet names? 

Master. — Yes, very. 

Ned. — I have utilised a few. Now, for in- 
stance, a printer's wife ought to be named Em ; 
a sport's wife, Bet-ty; a lawyer's wife Sue; 
a teamster's wife, Carrie; a fisherman's wife, 
Net-ty; a shoemaker's wife, Peg-gy; a carpet- 
man's wife. Mat-tie; an auctioneer's wife, 
Bid-dy; a chemist's wife, Ann Eliza; an en- 
gineer's wife, Bridg-it. 

Wanted to Know 

If a man who turned a somersault (summer 
salt) was able to turn it fresh again? 

If when a "man's brain is on fire," water 
can be used as an extinguisher? 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 125 

If the individual who "murdered a tune" 
was ever brought to justice? 

Whether there ever was an eclipse of the 
honeymoon? 

Your Choice 

Ned. — If you had your choice, would you 
rather die, an Irishman or an American? 

Master. — Being an American I would 
prefer dying an American. 

Ned. — ^There's where I differ with you. I 
would prefer to die a true son of the Emerald 
Isle. 

Master. — Why so? 

Ned. — Because when an American dies he's 
buried and that's the last of him. 

Master. — Very true. 

Ned. — But when an Irishman dies — 

Master. — ^Well, sir, what then? 

Ned. — His friends always wake him. 

Boiled Egg Joke 

Ned. — ^Why, how do you do, Charley? 
Mr. Seamon is a smart young man — 



126 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Master. — Why do you call him a smart 

young man? 

Ned. — Because the other day he bought a 

lot of laying hens, and he thought he would 

try an experiment, so he gave them all boiling 

water. 

Master. — ^What did he give them boiling 
water for? 

Ned. — To see if he could not make them 
lay boiled eggs. 

^^They will not recognise me in the other 
world," said a Marshal of France on his 
deathbed, '4t is so long a time since a Mar- 
shal of France has gone there with a head on 
his shoulders." Marshal Saint-Geran, 1632. 

That is a concise witty saying. Try to fit 
it for clown or minstrel use and it will be 
seen at once that it has not the right form and 
requires too much explanation. These old 
jokes, so banal to read, are given last be- 
cause they have the right form and when the 
clown is working hard to get the whole audi- 
ence laughing, produce the effect desired. It 
is not enough that part of an audience is 



THE MINSTREL SHOW 127 

amused. When the curtain rings down you 
will be fortunate if you have earned such 
kindly words as these quaint old press notices 
written about the clown who used these jokes 
and on whom the curtain fell finally years ago. 

"Mr. Ned Turner impersonated the part he 
had taken (jester to the ring) with a consid- 
erable degree of fidelity, avoiding a too com- 
mon error among clowns — that of unnatural 
straining after effect — and acted upon the sen- 
sible presumption that the audience would be 
better pleased with a faithful representation 
of the character he had assumed, than with 
the self-conceived greatness and attractiveness 
of the actor. He was rewarded for his wit 
and sentiment with frequent outbursts of ap- 
plause. — Quincy, III., Evening Call, 

Mr. Ned Turner is a talented clown, and 
fully sustained the reputation that he has 
gained for himself throughout the West. — 
Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nonpareil, 

Mr. Ned Turner is a gentleman who pos- 
sesses sterling qualities, both as a man and a 
jester. — Quincy, III,, News. 

Among the special attractions, Mr. Ned 



128 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Turner, the jester, is still foremost. His 
ready and sharp wit, combined with the per- 
fection of his art, have indeed stamped him 
as unapproachable. — Charleston, S. C, Morn- 
ing News, 

Ned Turner is the most gentlemanly jester 
in the equestrian profession. His jokes are 
gems of wit and wisdom, sense and nonsense." 
— Chicago Journal, 



CHAPTER XI 

COSTS AND CHARGES 

A fifteen foot mat, or better two mats eight 
by three feet and about two inches thick, cost 
about fifteen dollars. A dozen hoops are 
needed, a table, two chairs, a small handwalk- 
ing staircase, paper balloons, etc., say $5 in 
all. A fake elephant will cost about $15 to 
make. A clown's costume about 75 cents. 
Fifty cents' worth of make-up is enough for a 
show. Negro minstrel costumes can be calcu- 
lated, according to one's plans. A good acro- 
batic costume for a class shown in the illustra- 
tions will cost a little less than $3.50 apiece 
not counting the sneakers and it is foolish to 
buy expensive shoes and tights until one is 
really a good performer and knows how to 
take care of them. You can learn just as well 
in cheap things. 

The mats generally will be indispensable; 

but for those who have a place to practise out 

129 



I30 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

of doors, better than any mat is the following 
contrivance: Dig a shallow place two to 
three inches deep, twenty feet long and three 
feet wide. Fill this with sawdust or tan bark 
watered and pounded down — first sifting the 
bark or sawdust to remove from it bits of wood 
or stones. 

Better still is a regular circus ring made in 
the same way with a parapet two feet high of 
sods, or built of boards covered with padded 
canvas. The diameter of the whole should be 
about 20 feet. 

In calculating costs and charges for a show 
one must consider lights, decorations, cos- 
tumes and make-up, rent, music, printing in- 
cluding advertising, tickets and programmes, 
license if one is needed, the expense of a good 
curtain for the stage and cost of chairs or 
benches. In a well managed show the busi- 
ness manager is chosen at the beginning out- 
side of the company and has plenty to do to 
keep things straight and see that there is no 
loss. The cost of a curtain depends on the 
size, quality, etc. It must work easily with- 
out any noise either slowly or quickly accord- 



COSTS AND CHARGES 131 

ing to the need. The cost of tents can be 
learned from catalogues of tent makers who 
seem to be no longer in Persia but mostly in 
Kansas. 
To Give a Show Without Any Money. 

Let us imagine a case in which an ambitious 
group of amateur artists has talent and no cash. 
This is apt to occur. 

Perfect an organisation with a business 
manager and a Ring Manager who can get 
his orders obeyed. Then practise — practise, 
practise and practise some more. Work in a 
yard with a sawdust ring which you can 
make yourselves. Use anything for a costume. 
The indispensable articles are a good fitting 
pair of black sneakers for each artist. Sneak- 
ers can be purchased inside of a dollar apiece. 
Always buy black as they look well with any 
costume. There are plenty of ways, selling 
papers, blacking shoes, etc., to obtain these. 
If only four of the artists have time to earn 
money, that is enough. Before long there 
will be ten or twelve dollars in the treasury to 
get the sneakers and the ring can be built on 
holidays. All the materials for a good prac- 



132 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

tical clown costume can be purchased as de- 
scribed for seventy-five cents. Once the com- 
pany is so well drilled that everything goes 
nicely and a snappy little show can be given, 
it is possible to sell tickets, and money will 
roll in to buy handsome costumes, lights, mats 
and a tent. This plan involves more patience, 
brains and discipline. It will be harder to 
stick together but there will be lots more fun 
in it than if everything is made easy. Almost 
anywhere a group can obtain the use of a yard 
large enough, and a competent older person 
to advise and criticise. After that by contin- 
uing to earn money, and giving one or two 
five cent shows, they will be able to do the 
following : 

1. iBuy costumes for all the company. 

2. Build a stage with a good curtain. 

3. Build an elephant. 

4. Train a dog. 

5. Build a table and two chairs for a table 
and chair act. By the time this has been done, 
supposing that the Company has learned the 
ten elements of tumbling and one or two pan- 
tomimes or a minstrel part to end the show, 



COSTS AND CHARGES 133 

tickets may be sold at ten cents. Once the 
Treasury is in good shape, a tent and more 
ambitious decorations and lights are possible. 

The main thing if you have no money and 
wish to have a circus of your own, is to get 
together a company who will work, save the 
money and stick together without fighting. 
Such a company can accomplish almost any- 
thing it sets out to do. 

Moreover everybody likes to help those 
who help themselves. 

It will surprise such a company of boys or 
girls how many people will help them once 
it is seen that they are really in earnest and 
working hard. Your elephant will cost one- 
half then, whereas my estimates are made from 
New York prices. For an instructor and 
critic the company must depend upon some 
good friend. 



CHAPTER XII 

SLEEPING OUT OF DOORS 

Centuries ago it was found out that sleep- 
ing out of doors in summer is an excellent pro- 
ceeding; it is now beginning to be understood 
that it is equally good for a growing boy to 
sleep out all the year. I subjoin an account, 
taken by permission, from St. Nicholas, of a 
Winter Camp at the Cloyne House School, 
Newport, Rhode Island, designed with the in- 
tention of making an attractive place for boys, 
and in accordance with a practical method for 
sleeping out all the winter. 

I also quote a few interesting remarks by 
Prof. Leonard Hill, on the theory of ventila- 
tion, which best explains the undoubted ben- 
efits obtained in this Winter Camp. 

This Winter Camp is now in use (1916) for 
the third year. The boys immensely prefer 
it to any dormitory, and it has been found that 
a boy who sleeps there never has a cold. As 

134 



SLEEPING OUT OF DOORS 135 

what is commonly called a cold generally pre- 
cedes illness and provides the conditions un- 
der which bacteria may flourish, it follows, 
and has been so found, that a boy or girl who 
never has a cold, is exempt from many forms 
of illness. 

I suggested to Professor Hill that there is 
possibly an electrical effect on the sleepers in 
the winter camp, produced by the currents of 
moving air. He replied, ''There is no need 
to evoke anything but rate of cooling and its 
stimulating effect produced by fresh moving 
air. Five-sixths of the metabolism of the 
human body, the food eaten and digested, fre- 
quency of circulation and digestion depend on 
the loss of body heat, that is, on the rate of 
cooling of the skin." 

The two years' experience with this camp 
proves that its use, or the use of something 
like it, will largely head off epidemic dis- 
eases from boarding-school life. Before very 
long it will be understood that a headmaster, 
in whose school there are constantly cases of 
colds, grippe, catarrh, whooping cough, etc., 
what are thought to be the lighter ailments, is 



136 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

exactly as incompetent as he would be con- 
sidered to-day if smallpox, yellow fever, ma- 
larial fever are chronic in that school. 

It so happened that, on account of the po- 
litical troubles in Mexico, the Americans in 
Yucatan found it necessary in 1914 to leave 
that country and come north to the United 
States. Then I had an opportunity to visit 
the Cloyne School. A patrol of Boy Scouts, 
established in the school, had a tent on the 
grounds. They slept there, and many even- 
ings we cooked over an open fire and told 
stories until time for lights out. The boys 
found it so much fun to "sleep out" that they 
asked me to design and build a winter camp 
for them. 

We spent ten weeks planning and building 
the camp so that it would fit in with the rou- 
tine of the school life. It had to be near the 
dormitory building that no time might be lost 
out of the few free moments between study 
hour and bedtime. Fortunately, we were 
able to take a place in the grounds among 
trees and only a hundred feet from the main 
building. It was decided to construct an old- 




>1 ';.. 3 


i 




f * 



54. SlumgLilHon 



55. Time to Get Up. 




56. THE WINTER CAMP 
December, 1914 



O. W. H. 



$w 


Ti 


Hj 


^H' tuy 


_j|Bff'V 


ll ! ^BH^^^^^^H 




^ 


vf^ .^'^^I^^^H 


ii^^'^^^' 




nR 


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57 

Put a 
h^andkerchjef 
on the floor 
in front of 
each. All 
together 
stand on 
their hands 
with feet 
against the 



58 

wall. Bend- 
ing the arms 
each picks 
up handker- 
chief with 
his teeth, re- 
turns to 
standing po- 
sition ana 
salutes. 




ADVANCED WORK 
The Handkerchief Pick-Up 



SLEEPING OUT OF DOORS 137 

fashioned log fort of the days of the Indian 
Wars. As there was already a large play-hut 
with two fireplaces next to the site of the fort, 
by extending the stockade sufficiently a cov- 
ered passageway would join the play-hut to 
the fort. 

Around the camp we built a log stockade 
fifty feet long by thirty wide. This used up 
over two hundred logs ten or more feet long, 
the bark being left on the logs, pointed at the 
top and set two feet in the ground. The 
stockade was well braced on the inside and 
solidly fastened by logs spiked on lengthwise. 
Trees are scarce in Rhode Island — it is said 
they were nearly all cut off for firewood dur- 
ing the occupation by the French soldiers 
years ago — so it was not easy to get logs of 
good size, and the white birch that was used 
had to be brought from the North. 

At the southwest corner a blockhouse was 
built on top of the stockade to hold the brass 
saluting cannon belonging to the Scouts, — Pa- 
trol Number 5, Newport, Rhode Island, is 
their official name. Just behind the block- 
house is planted the flagstaff. A large gate in 



138 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

the centre of the south wall opens on the path 
to the door of the school. Between this gate 
and the platform of the tent is placed a ^'Cho- 
corua stove" and a stone fireplace. The gate 
is secured at night by a heavy birch bar laid 
in wooden forks. 

To build a platform for the tent, we 
dragged inside the stockade huge logs thirty 
feet in length. These were blocked up three 
feet above the ground and then a cave — with 
a very secret entrance — was dug underneath 
the logs. Across the logs was nailed a plat- 
form, 20 X 30 feet, and all around it on three 
sides wooden bunks were built. The bunks 
had a wide board at the back, so that the 
wind could not strike the sleeper, and little 
cross-boards to separate the bunks from each 
other. But first we built a trussed frame of 
birch poles to carry the tent. Two poles 
twenty-five feet long, of heavy 2j4 inch birch, 
were planted in the bottom of the cave. They 
came 17 feet above the floor, and were strongly 
braced to the logs and flooring. The ends of 
the ridge-pole were nailed on top of these, 
then the tent and fly were put in place. Both 



SLEEPING OUT OF DOORS 139 

tent and fly had half-inch iron rings worked 
into them opposite each end of the ridge-pole, 
and through these a six-inch iron bolt was 
driven down through each end of the ridge- 
pole into the posts. Each one of these bolts 
ended at the top in an iron ring. 

From each iron ring, and outside of the fly, 
we carried two wire-rope guys to heavy logs 
on opposite sides of the stockade. Inside we 
lashed and spiked between them two birch 
cross-braces four feet apart and one diagonal 
brace from one upright pole to the other. 
The result of this plan was a strong flexible 
wooden truss to hold the heavy tent and fly, 
giving a little to the wind when it blew hard. 

Instead of the usual long guy-ropes, which 
pull and tear a tent when wet, birch racks 
were planted on each side of the tent, two feet 
from it and strongly braced into the ground. 
The short, two-foot guy-ropes were lashed to 
the racks when wet, with the result that, when 
dry, they slacked off a little, but not enough 
to be troublesome. 

A tent so mounted requires no adjustment. 
This one stood the heavy gales and snow all 



I40 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

winter. It will need no further attention, 
and will stand any blow until the canvas rots. 
The sides can be looped up, or buttoned down 
to spikes driven into the platform logs. There 
is a door at each end of the tent, and the wind- 
ward one is buttoned while the other is left 
open. 

Electric lights were put in the hut, the 
blockhouse, and the tent, so arranged that all 
could be put out by one switch, except that 
in the tent. At night the flag was hauled 
down and the gate barred; then, when all 
hands were in their bunks, the last man had to 
turn out the light and the stories began. 

It was fine, snugly tucked into a sleeping- 
bag, to hear the rain drum on the tent-fly — 
the wind blowing in the trees. Surrounded 
and protected by the heavy stockade and gate 
one felt so safe while the "Adventure of the 
Red Inn" was unfolded, or the ghostly step 
in the story came slowly across the floor, one 
— two — three. And the scared ones could 
easily crawl down into their sleeping-bags and 
cover their heads. 

As the stockade ran up high enough and was 



SLEEPING OUT OF DOORS 141 

strongly braced, even a full gale did not dis- 
turb the sleeping-tent or the canvas on the 
racks. 

The length of this tent-fly was forty feet — 
ten feet longer than the tent itself. This ex- 
tra length of the fly formed a comfortable 
shelter, as the fire- was built just at the edge, 
and benches were placed on each side. There 
one could cook in rainy weather with no in- 
convenience. 

If there were time he could broil a chicken, 
or bake potatoes, or make clam soup while the 
Scout Boys were in the evening study hour. 
As soon as that was over, they rushed to their 
alcoves and put on pajamas, boots, a bathrobe 
and cap. Then there would be a few min- 
utes for '^follow my leader," or supper, or a 
general scrimmage before "lights out" and 
stories. In the morning, if the master who 
was in charge at the time "had a heart," he 
would get up early and cook the stimulating 
"slumgullion." 

It took only a couple of minutes to arrange 
a sleeping-bag and ten minutes was time 
enough in which to drink the hot slumgullion 



142 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

prepared according to an ancient formula and 
with the skill which makes it so delicious. A 
blazing fire was fine in zero weather at half 
past six in the morning, and then came the 
wild rush to be in the dormitory at just seven 
o'clock: neither one minute before nor after. 

The playhouse was found convenient on 
cold nights when it was too early to turn in, 
if there happened to be no study-hour, or 
when the school gave a dance. The stockade, 
tent, blockhouse, and hut made a charming 
effect illuminated by Japanese lanterns and 
the open fire. 

Thus, while living a boarding-school life 
with all its necessary and tiresome details, 
there came some of the magic of camping out 
for the faithful four who had worked to build 
the camp. Gaul was none the less divided 
into three parts, X plus Y still exactly equalled 
just what it always did, but I think it was 
easier for the boys of the winter camp to learn 
these necessary facts because of their nightly 
contact with the great world of out of doors, 
their hours in the camp, and that fine sleep 
which you cannot get in a house. When the 



SLEEPING OUT OF DOORS 143 

thermometer is away down, when a gale is 
lashing the trees, and the air is full of flying 
snow, you are so very comfortable in a good 
sleeping-bag, and the voice of the story-teller 
fades away into the song of the gale, and 
sleep, and happy dreams. 



CHAPTER XIII 

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 

It appears best not to give too many exact or 
confining rules for this system of physical de- 
velopment. The importance of an intelligent 
instructor cannot be exaggerated and the 
printed w^ord does not fully take the place. 
In capable hands this method of physical de- 
velopment w^ill be found to remedy most of 
the defects of the methods now in use and cap- 
able hands should be left free. 

If a boy or girl is clumsy, slouches along 
w^ith the shoulders bent in, it is because the 
trunk muscles are not developed, or the nerves 
do not control them properly. Since the hu- 
man body is more or less plastic all this may 
be corrected. A fakir by constantly holding 
an arm upright finally fixes it there perma- 
nently. In the shapable 12-16 period, by 
these easy graceful tumbling motions muscles 

may be developed and balance obtained with 

144 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 145 

a free upright carriage of the whole body. 

Such a boy or girl becomes practically im- 
mune to the ordinary accidents of life. No 
trained tumbler ever breaks a leg by slipping 
on a side-walk or rolling in a coasting spill; 
for automatically the body takes care of itself 
in minor difficulties. 

I repeat the words which begin Chapter II. 
Every one desires to be well, strong and grace- 
ful. 

How much any one will sacrifice to obtain 
that desire is another matter. Very few can 
attain their wish fully without the assistance 
of a competent instructor. Granting that 
there is time and opportunity what shall the 
instructor do? 

Treating boys and girls between the ages 
of 12 and 16 he finds by experience that calis- 
thenics and drill do not go very far, and that 
time and opportunity are terribly lacking for 
the use of games — and by ''opportunity" I 
mean to include the expensive plant necessary. 

Games require space indoors and outdoors 
and much time to accomplish a satisfying all- 
round development. So the conscientious 



146 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

teacher does the best he or she can and often 
wonders, I fancy, how much or how little is 
accomplished. 

I think the plan advocated in this book will 
recommend itself to many because the plant 
required is a mat; or better two mats, eight 
feet by three, a little simple stuff, say in all 
$20 worth, and any place at all to work in. 
The proper rig for a small boy practising 
football costs as much as that. Once broken 
in, two classes of eight each can be worked 
together for an hour a day, and that is enough 
five times a week to secure a very good all 
round development. 

Best of all the stimulus is there, provided 
by the glamour of the circus and the stage. 
Given an occasional show — the pupil will 
practise steadily, without urging, under com- 
petent guidance Can more be said for any 
game? It is rare indeed that so much can be 
said for the mechanical exercises. I have 
never seen it. 

This method is not intended for profes- 
sional acrobats nor for the glory of the same. 

It is an attempt to build up a method simi- 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 147 

lar to that which they use so successfully in 
dominating the human body. It permits a 
successful all round development between 12- 
16 prior to competitive athletics without the 
tedium of calisthenics and with a great econ- 
omy of time spent. The instructor will find 
that he can accomplish more in an hour of this 
practise than he can in two hours of basket 
ball or other games. 

As I have already explained, to use danger- 
ous tricks for non-professional youths who 
cannot give a professional's time and patience 
to them, is absurd ; and I eliminate absolutely 
all air-turns for boys and girls between 12 
and 16. Consequently I think it is better if 
the instructor is unable to do air-turns. 

There is no chance then of setting the stu- 
dent's ambition on something you do not want 
him to try. Moreover, a man cannot see his 
own form in tumbling. He does not really 
know how he appears. What is desired of an 
instructor is ability to hold the student when 
he first begins so that he will not be bruised, 
keep discipline so that he will not go on un- 
til he has mastered the first elements, and to 



148 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

enforce constant drill and criticism of form 
until the class possesses that easy graceful mo- 
tion which denotes perfect muscle control. He 
must understand the theory of this method so 
that he will aim for and obtain the desired ex- 
ercise of the digestive tract, and, in a word, 
develop the class and not himself. 

I have certainly never been able to qualify 
as an acrobat and I have planned this 
method in such a way that it can be taught by 
any intelligent man or woman of ordinary 
strength. Keeping always in mind the splen- 
did boys and girls who have not access to elab- 
orate equipments and specialist teachers in 
athletics, I would feel that it is no method at 
all if its perfect result cannot be obtained in 
any schoolroom where there is space for a fif- 
teen-foot mat and a progressive teacher of or- 
dinary good health. 

When your boy or girl has learned these 
ten elements of simple tumbling and practises 
them steadily five times a week, one hour a 
day during term time, at sixteen that boy or 
girl will possess a well developed body, un- 
der almost perfect nerve control and a splen- 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 149 

did digestion, given that he or she starts with 
a fair equipment. No more can be done by 
the best athletic instructor with the most ex- 
pensive equipment. 

By the discreet use of the glamour of the 
circus, tights, shows, etc., the pupil's inter- 
est may be maintained at white heat; and 
there is no need to be athlete or acrobat to do 
this. 

Great private schools and academies have 
to invest many thousands of dollars to obtain 
a fine physical development. The reason — 
the main reason for doing so, for I leave out 
of consideration the desire to attract pupils 
by means of athletic success in extra-mural 
competition, is that the pupil's time is limited 
and his interest must be aroused. Every ex- 
perienced teacher knows that you can go only 
a short distance with calisthenics, that it is 
vitally necessary to interest the pupil; and, 
using games to do so, it is necessary to take 
the games in their seasonal order. As the 
time is limited the whole number must be 
cared for in say three hours; therefore a large 
and expensive athletic plant is needed. 



I50 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Hence for the vast majority of our boys and 
girls good football, ice-hockey, tennis, row- 
ing, boxing, wrestling and basketball are im- 
possible. What they get is too insufficient in 
quantity or quality to accomplish the best all- 
round development. 

Such development can be obtained by the 
games if there is time and an expensive equip- 
ment, but the majority lack either one or the 
other. 

This is the reason why the universal mili- 
tary systems do improve National physique. 
During army service, developing exercise, not 
the best kind but still developing, is possible 
for all the men but no Nation does this ade- 
quately for the 1 2-1 6 boy or girl. In a large 
number of the Public Schools calisthenics 
are pushed about as far as they can be, and 
excellent results are obtained. But contrast 
these with the achievement at say Groton, or 
any school which possesses an expensive plant, 
and it will be seen at once how inferior they 
are. 

I submit then this plan to give the best de- 
velopment of all the body under the limita- 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 151 

tions of time and equipment accessible to the 
vast majority of boys and girls, so that any 
one can take this book and proceed to instruct 
a class, r say any one, but I am not plan- 
ning for acrobats or even very good athletes 
as teachers. They have their field now and 
a most valuable one it is. I do not wish to 
have a teacher who can do the difScult tricks 
and always risky (for a boy) air-turns for I 
wish the boy to regard these simple elements 
as sufficient, as indeed they are for him at 
his stage. In all practise I keep steadily in 
mind the even exercise of the whole body, the 
growth of nerve control and above all the ex- 
ercise of the digestive tract. A quick roll 
ending in a No. 2 salute does this I think al- 
most as effectually as a back flip. (Illustra- 
tion 2.) Both are superior to any move- 
ment I know of in any game or any form of 
calisthenics. Slow rolls with a salute, quick 
rolls, the class chasing down the mat, in 2- 
High Falls, etc., there are innumerable ways 
of working in this motion. When back 
and front handsprings can be added, you at- 
tain constant and perfect exercise of the diges- 



152 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

tive tract, and circulatory system while stead- 
ily developing muscular power and nerve con- 
trol. The other combinations of elements 
give variety and the line method, placing the 
class in line and working in turn, prevents all 
chance of strain. 

Every now and then some student brings out 
striking facts in regard to the effect of exer- 
cise on the organs during the growing period. 
Quite clear and interesting editorials are writ- 
ten by people who, knowing little about the 
matter but stirred by some sorrowful col- 
lapse in competitive athletics of a promising 
youth, lump it all together and charge it up 
to the Athletic Director. 

What is the Director of Athletics to do? 
Here are some of the things he knows to be 
facts. 

I. Desultory play has small effect on the 
physical development of boys, for a number 
of reasons of which I will cite one only. The 
many demands school life or a working life 
make on a boy leave him not over three hours 
a day and in that amount of time, left to him- 
self, he accomplishes little. 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 153 

2. You cannot employ mechanical exercises 
such as calisthenics or drill to produce the re- 
sult you are after. They will help — that is 
all. 

3. There is nothing left but competitive 
athletics at his disposal. 

4. On the spiritual side of the boy, only by 
competitive athletics can he develop courage, 
loyalty and manliness, and combat weakening 
feminine influences. 

I believe pretty much all men whose object 
is to attain the desirable results described by 
writers on the physical development of the 
boy would agree on these four points. 

5. The danger of injury from competitive 
athletics is greatest between 12-16. Strains 
received then are the beginning of injuries to 
some organ which may or may not develop 
disastrously later on. This point is not yet 
generally recognised. 

The Directors and the schools cannor hcxp 
themselves — they have no other way, and it 
is clear the benefits of competitive athletics 
exceed the drawbacks and will be sought un- 
til a better way is found. Observe that in our 



154 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

Government schools where mechanical exer- 
cises, drill, calisthenics can be pushed farther 
than anywhere else, competitive athletics are 
used because they give a result which cannot 
otherwise be obtained. 

Now this is a singular thing. Men write 
at length about bees, minute points of law, 
the collection of half truths and misunder- 
standings called history, but of this acrobatic 
art, so difficult, since Tuccaro, I find only 
an incoherent foolish book by Hughes Le 
Roux and Garnier, and an excellent manual 
of feats by Professor Gwathmey. Yet its pro- 
ficients travel all over the world and what 
they do is interesting to millions. 

Perhaps because they are absorbed in do- 
ing not talking about it and also perhaps be- 
cause it is difficult to understand, and more 
difficult to give the patience and self-denial 
needed. 

TUCCARO 

Archange Tuccaro (Archangelo Tusquaro) 
was born about 1535 at Aquilai in Italy. He 
was therefore near 35 when he performed be- 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 155 

fore the Court during the wedding festivities 
of Charles IX of France and a Princess 
of Austria, the high moment of Tuccaro's 
life. Charles highly approved and made him 
the King's Acrobat, taking him to Paris. 
This v^as a great and much apg,reciated hon- 
our. Whether the King did the right thing 
financially, history does not state; but we may 
infer this as Messire Archange appears to 
have gotten on very well through all the 
troublous times that followed, publishing his 
book of Three Discourses in 1599. 

He also published a book of poems in 1602 
and died not many years after, r^omewhere be- 
tween 65 and 70 years old. 

He proudly states that he was the King's 
instructor in the noble art of tumbling, but 
discreetly refrains from stating just what he 
did teach him. We may believe that it was 
not much, for all of Tuccaro's work is diffi- 
cult and it is hardly credible that the King 
exercised the patience and self-denial needed 
for hard stunts. 

Tuccaro takes high ground as to the nobil- 
ity and value of his art. For four things are 



156 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

needed by those who do difficult feats: cour- 
age, self-denial, patience, and complete con- 
trol of this our earthly and heavy garment. 

It is a singular popular delusion that acro- 
bats die young on account of the physical de- 
mands upon them, overworked hearts, etc. 
Tuccaro is a case in point, exercising his skill 
up to sixty odd years. It is true that some die 
from accidents because of lack of care or more 
likely because of ambition, the desire to do 
something new. The perfect health of acro- 
bats of itself would prove this popular con- 
ception untrue and the reason for the error 
is that audiences, not liking to see an elderly 
man or woman doing difficult acrobatic feats, 
seldom do see them. On the dramatic stage 
as time slides by, people take to older parts, 
but in acrobatic work there is no room for 
such. It is for those who have divine youth 
to do these impossible feats with a graceful 
smile. You do not wish to see Grandpa in a 
death-defying act; but his grandson full of the 
joy of life — that is another matter. Hence 
when make-up is no longer possible, there is 
nothing to do but retire and teach. 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 157 

PRACTICAL POINTS 

There are two imperative reasons why it is 
necessary to train a class to do interesting and 
^'classy" acts, besides the need for an impel- 
ling force that will make them work. 

First as in all education that there may arise 
always before the pupil feats a little harder to 
do — a little more difficult to learn. 

Second, that older boys may respect what 
he does and not bring to bear the destructive 
force of a contemptuous public opinion to de- 
ter him from work. 

In considering the use of the show as a 
stimulus for the pupil one finds that there are 
as many different kinds of shows as there are 
places in which to give them. In practise, 
the thing to do first is to get on paper what can 
be done, the number of acts, time each one re- 
quires, the people. 

Next see if the place is suitable. If you 
have to work on a stage and the curtain arch 
is not very high you could not do the ^Tath 
to the Stars," for the reason that the stars from 
the balloon would not be seen by the audience 
and the point of the picture would be lost. 



158 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

As we have seen the main object in giving 
a show is to assist in maintaining the interest 
of the class during the long practise which 
good physical development requires. 

In competitive athletics the same end 
is reached by intra-mural and extra-mural 
games. 

People who think that the disadvantages of 
games between schools outweigh the advan- 
tages, resort to elaborate systems of games be- 
tween clubs formed in the school. Now I 
write from the standpoint of the man or wo- 
man who has to get the work done. They are 
confronted with a condition not a theory, so 
much work, so many hours of practise each 
term in order to bring about the desired phy- 
sical development. Much is written about 
athletics by people who do not seem to know 
a great deal about them. Those who do the 
actual work are mostly silent. The teacher 
who has to produce a result knows that talk 
to students about improving the body, main- 
taining health, duty and obedience are useful 
influences, but since human nature is what it 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR 159 

is, not sufficient. Therefore the need- for 
competitive games and the inadequacy of cal- 
isthenics. The difficulty of games is the 
small number who can get on to the teams. 
It is necessary to provide an enormous plant 
to adequately take care of 400 boys by games. 
To realise the benefit you are after each boy 
must actually play, it is not enough for him to 
sit on the sidelines and yell. Naturally the 
biggest or best boys of the group do the actual 
playing. Whereas in this tumbling plan you 
will find you can utilise all sizes, interest all 
sizes and drill steadily all sizes. There is not 
the necessity of sacrificing the practise of the 
smaller boys to the needs of the others, and 
lack of equipment is no difficulty at all. In 
one gym it is possible for five instructors to 
drill adequately 400 boys at simple tumbling 
in four hours' time and maintain the interest 
of 80 per cent, of them for all the time. 

No game can do that in such a short time. 
Only however up to sixteen. I do not believe 
it is desirable to carry the boy or girl after 
that age on this plan. I think they are better 



i6o AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

employed at competitive athletics especially 
if they have had two or three years of tum- 
bling practise first. 

As will have been seen, it is proposed to 
utilise the deep interest of boys and girls in 
AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE for a driving 
force by which to obtain steady developing 
practise. I do not however burden this book 
with a greater mass of detail because practi- 
cally all instructors have more or less knowl- 
edge of how to conduct amateur entertain- 
ments, and it is nearly always possible for a 
group of boys or girls to get such counsel. 
Once the ten elements of simple tumbling are 
mastered innumerable combinations are pos- 
sible, so it is easy to devise class acts and 
brother acts such as those described in Chap- 
ters III, IV, V and VIII and other interest- 
ing little acts can be found according to the 
taste of the instructor and the latent talent in 
the group. While it is hoped that a group 
of boys and girls can by the aid of this book 
attain valuable physical training without help, 
it is needless to remark that in this or any 
system the directing energy and wise criti- 



FOR THE INSTRUCTOR i6i 

cism of an instructor are invaluable. I have 
found in conducting classes that the pupils 
invariably make helpful suggestions and 
clever plans which almost invariably require 
changes to make them fit in. 

To the instructions given in Chapter III, I 
have to add but a w^ord of caution. One con- 
stantly finds boys who are taught to do a roll 
by clasping hands around the lower legs when 
balled up as in illustration 2. This makes 
it easier to learn the roll but is a bad method. 
Such a boy is always liable when diving to 
become rattled and put his hands to his legs 
instead of in front of his head, thus diving 
squarely on to his head. If on the contrary 
he learns from the beginning to keep his 
hands in front he will before he dives much 
have learned automatically to take care of his 
head and neck by sustaining all the weight on 
his hands and arms. 



CHAPTER XIV 

FOR PARENTS 

There are boys so well endowed by their 
parents that they flourish under any system; 
there are boys so damaged by inheritance, or 
the control of women, that no system can do 
much with them. There are teachers tied to 
systems, or whose faces are not turned to the 
dawn. 

With none of these people have we anything 
to do. It is the progressive, intelligent 
teacher and the shapeable boy and girl of 
twelve-sixteen for whom better methods may 
be suggested than those in use to-day. And 
better methods are needed from the point of 
view of all involved ; pupil, teacher, and par- 
ent. 

Irrespective of all fine plans parents may 
make, as far as it concerns the twelve-sixteen ^ 

1 1 should like to emphasise that the term twelve-sixteen is 
used for convenience. All people in touch with boys and girls 
observe that the period I write about begins and ends, at times, 
earlier or later. 

1 62 



FOR PARENTS 163 

boy or girl, physical education consists of what 
is actually done during the short time at the 
disposal of the athletic instructor. Remember 
that these boys and girls have to be taken in 
classes, that the greater part of their work 
must be made interesting to them. Remem- 
ber, too, that the instructor himself is limited 
by conditions imposed upon him; for the pro- 
fession of athletic instructor has so recently 
emerged into respectability that it hardly ranks 
yet with that of other educators. In a school 
of four hundred boys, splendidly equipped, 
out of a faculty of forty-five mainly given to 
the work of getting the boy into college, there 
is but one physical instructor helped by four- 
teen semi-voluntary assistants ; this is an ab- 
surd condition, but one probably not change- 
able for years to come. 

Watch the work with such boys in a good 
Y. M. C. A. gymnasium, a public school, or a 
boys' club gym, and note how much time is 
wasted, necessarily wasted, in unorganised 
play. 

Those who wish to change our nation from 
its comfortable helplessness to a sensible 



i64 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

strength see the need of better and more uni- 
versal physical training. 

The worst gap — the weakest point in present 
methods, practically speaking, is between 
twelve and sixteen. This method proposes to 
fill that gap. 

After the '^tumult and shouting" dies away, 
and the need for preparation has been estab- 
lished in this country — what is to be done! It 
will be seen then that very little training for 
war is practical before sixteen. What is 
needed between twelve and sixteen is an all- 
around physical development, and that brings 
one face to face with present methods in 
schools and gymnasiums. 

At Camp Chocorua, in the days when the 
summer camp was still considered an amuse- 
ment enterprise and not an experiment in edu- 
cation, it was my privilege to think much 
about new ideas in education : How may the 
education of boys and girls be lifted up to 
better ways? 

In the end, all discussions come back to 
what appears to be the truth. Only by 
laborious study of the child may new ways 



FOR PARENTS 165 

be found. If you wish to progress you must 
understand body and soul. The wise Japa- 
nese know this. It is not possible to reach the 
best physical development unless the soul is 
enlisted. Wherefore, the method proposed in 
this book for the twelve-sixteen boy or girl. 

The teachers of scholarship, the teachers of 
religion are apt to speak of the boy as if he 
were a being detached from his body. 

They do not seem to realise that man begins 
as an animal, and passes through many 
changes before he reaches the developed rea- 
soning, controlled, religious human. The 
boy lives always with his body, he cannot get 
rid of it; he is hampered, swayed, and at times 
governed by it. It seems clear that the first 
step in attempting to obtain a better type of 
boy ought to be to improve that body, and 
could you achieve fairly perfect bodies, half 
of the difficulties with the sex force, with their 
scholarship and their religion, would disap- 
pear. 

In all work with boys it is to be remembered 
that the twelve- to sixteen-year boy is a curious, 
streaky compound of ignorance, knowledge, 



i66 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

courage, cowardice, sacrifice and selfishness, 
desire and indifiference, conditioned first, last 
and always by the state of his body. 

That mentally, morally and physically he is 
constantly changing, always in a state of un- 
rest. 

Failure to remember this brings defeat. 
Moreover, in groups of boys there are always 
those with whom you can accomplish next to 
nothing and those who possess a divine im- 
pulse which if I dared I would call a super 
digestion system. 

No matter how stupid and ignorant the 
teaching, the latter will derive good from it or 
seem to. 

In what I am about to say I set aside these 
two classes. We will treat of the boy who can 
be largely made or spoiled by good or bad 
methods. 

The schools take each year a mass of more 
or less promising material and at the ap- 
pointed time turn out a result they have a right 
to feel is creditable. May we not, however, 
analyse their work, searching for a better 
method on the physical side? 



FOR PARENTS 167 

An iron age has come again. Whether 
Germany loses or wins, this soft, luxury-loving 
people of our republic need to gird on the 
sword and defend what we believe in. Is it 
not time to find better ways of preparing the 
body and soul of these future men and women 
than those to-day in use? A way that will 
reach its end without the waste of time and 
risk of strain of the present athletic competi- 
tive system. But I confine myself to the 
golden opportunity for work, the second 
period of life, between twelve and sixteen. 
You may at this period definitely prescribe 
methods of living which will bring youth to 
a better development of the three : body, mind 
and soul. 

This, then, is the golden time in the de- 
velopment of man. Not too plastic, as in the 
previous period, he is still shapable. To this 
time, I believe, should be applied the clearest 
thinking, the most perfect skill; and at this 
time is determined the future physical effi- 
ciency and probably that of the mind and soul. 
Mistakes made then continue more or less 
through life. Fine work by teachers gives 



i68 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

larger results than before or after. Our fu- 
ture man or woman at that period reaches the 
domain of the athletic director, if fortunate, 
whose work is often of more real value than 
that of all the other pastors and masters to- 
gether. 

How great is the burden laid on this direc- 
tor! If the valiant young heart be overtaxed 
in a flat race, in jumping, or a boat, damage re- 
sults that may be irreparable. 

The director is always between the devil 
and the deep sea. 

He has at his command to-day only the two 
systems: systematic, mechanical exercises, and 
the competitive method with its dangers. 

A fine attempt has been made by the prin- 
cipal of a New York public school to intro- 
duce the competitive principle into systematic 
exercises but with only partial success. 

Life and growth depend upon the stream 
of blood which passes from the heart to all 
parts of the body and returns. When that 
river ceases to flow we depart to another form 
of existence. 

Likewise all growth of the boy or girl de- 



FOR PARENTS 169 

pends upon this current of blood. Every 
particle of the future 150 pounds must be 
picked up at the factory where it is made and 
delivered to its destined place. If not there 
is no grovs^th. 

We knov^ that the heart can do only part of 
this w^ork. It must force outward the life-giv- 
ing, the body-building, stream; but to insure 
the perfect delivery of each particle to just 
the right place and the return of the blood to 
the lungs for refreshment, the whole muscular 
system is employed. If that is unused the de- 
sired work is badly done, and according to the 
measure of its non-use largely follow the com- 
mon defects in general health and growth. 

When the best results are obtained there is 
for at least fifteen hours each day of the child's 
life a constant kneading by all his muscles. 
When you forbid the boy or girl to wriggle, or 
be restless, you are interfering with this proc- 
ess or some other. Man has been described as 
a system of tubes. The tubes are useless if the 
currents do not properly flow through them 
and the gallant heart cannot do the work alone. 

The same process takes place with the food 



I70 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

eaten, which is shortly, or should be, made into 
a liquid to be propelled to the needed places. 

During later periods of life this perfect 
circulation of the two streams, the blood and 
the food, is not of such pressing importance, as 
only the growth acquired has to be maintained. 
There is not the need of constant movement, of 
a ceaseless action of the muscles. The grown 
man may live very comfortably as an in- 
ert, pompous, slow-moving mass. He is not 
driven for exercise to wriggle or fidget. 

It is, however, clear that in this second pe- 
riod of life, 1 2-1 6, we should think of all ex- 
ercises with regard to their effect on the mus- 
cular action which aids these two moving 
streams. 

Sq of the heart, we know it to be of supreme 
importance that before maturity it should 
never be overloaded, and the muscular system 
that aids the heart, the methods by which the 
two streams are assisted to do their work, we 
may know a lot about. 

Muscular action is brought about by stim- 
uli : physical, mental and moral. To save time 
I omit discussion of the nerves, glandular sys- 



FOR PARENTS 171 

tern and metabolic processes, and roughly pass 
over development conditions to get to what I 
propose. The stimuli commonly used are: 
The physical need the boy or girl feels for 
motion, vanity, ambition, discipline, etc., ef- 
fect of heat and cold on the skin, light and 
darkness on the eye, sound on the ear, etc. 

Now to obtain the best success at 12-16 we 
must use all the stimuli possible. 

If you simply beat a boy and thereby ob- 
tain muscular activity on his part you will not 
get the best result. The competitive system 
is better than the mechanical for it employs 
more stimuli. Of the two streams I have de- 
scribed, that of the blood is the more impor- 
tant. The digestive stream can be and is often 
supplied with good material from poor food 
poorly prepared and circulates fairly well. 
But if the blood is not distributed, if inert 
matter clogs the system, all fails, no good re- 
sults are attained. 

What we are trying to do, therefore, between 
twelve and sixteen is chiefly to aid or direct 
these processes. How ignorant a view it is to 
consider that the book knowledge then ac- 



172 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

quired is the principal matter. There are 
long years ahead in which the boy or girl may 
learn at any time that X plus Y equals some- 
thing or other, but very few in which the 
building work of his heart may be well done. 
All the factors of the body are tied together. 
If the teeth decay digestion is impaired, and 
impaired digestion accelerates the decay of the 
teeth. So there is infinite action and reaction. 

Now, I submit, it is clear from the forego- 
ing that while all exercise has an effect on the 
organs, any exercise which would extend and 
compress the arm and leg systems of muscle 
and at the same time strongly employ those of 
the trunk and abdominal cavity would best 
meet the conditions for circulation of the blood 
stream and the digestive. 

Running has its chief effect from the waist 
down. Baseball, except for the pitcher and 
catcher, very little, except spiritually. Ten- 
nis is very good. Its drawback is, it pulls on 
one side and is not abdominal enough. Rid- 
ing not enough from the arms. Boxing and 
wrestling very good, but the danger here is 
that competition may overstrain the immature 



FOR PARENTS 173 

heart and neither can be taught in classes. 
It has been my good fortune in Mexico dur- 
ing ten years to know and study intimately 
over twenty acrobats of 12-16. This is what 
I found. I saw people disregarding pretty 
much all the common ideas of physical train- 
ing and indeed knowing almost nothing of 
them and yet obtaining a result with their chil- 
dren on the physical side vastly superior. I 
at once asked the question, how do they do 
it? These twenty-odd children were profes- 
sional acrobats, some of them of the first class 
working in circuses. They lived in the rough- 
est way. In a country where yellow fever was 
endemic they knew nothing of and never used 
mosquito nets. Ptomaine poisoning and ty- 
phoid fever had no terrors for them. Few of 
them, as I remember, had been vaccinated. 
Care of the teeth or eyes not thought of. 
And they never had anything the matter with 
them. Why? Only one reason can be given: 
the quality of the exercise, for no one asks from 
a boy or girl so much physically and morally 
as the professional acrobat. Their parents 
and masters are driven by necessity to develop 



174 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

the muscular control, courage and constancy in 
these boys and girls of 12-16, so that they 
can do very difEcult things. Topmounters 
must be boys or girls, or their weight would be 
too great. A 3-High mat act must end with a 
double air-turn down to the Understander, or 
some feat equally difficult, otherwise the act 
has no standing and cannot obtain regular, 
highly paid employment. In no one of our 
schools is there a boy 12-16 who could do that 
double down at all times and under all condi- 
tions and never miss landing squarely on the 
Understander's shoulders. Or if he does miss, 
go back and get it certainly the second try. 
Three tries are seldom permissible. A series 
of failures would ensure the discharge of the 
whole act. Furthermore, no system at pres- 
ent in use so prepares the schoolboy physically 
that he could safely be taught to do such a 
feat. 

Rain or shine, under all conditions, the boy 
must be able to do his difficult work. 

It is not that school boys lack the strength. 
They have not the developed valour and the 
nerve control of their muscles. Also the boy 



FOR PARENTS 175 

acrobat must have a perfect digestive set. 
Otherwise he could not endure the poor food 
and unsanitary conditions of his life. 

One of these boys, Kame Sugimoto, at 
twelve could and did always such feats. He 
was not naturally physically remarkable. I 
have seen boys in the schools with a far better 
inherited endowment. He did possess an ex- 
tra high degree of courage. 

I acquired the confidence of the parents or 
bosses and the path was easy to the liking of 
the boys and an intimate study of them and 
their ways. You may say, why do these acro- 
bats not attain the desired end through rowing, 
tennis or riding a horse or bicycle? Of these, 
as to nerve control the nearest approach to the 
effect of acrobatic work is given by the bi- 
cycle. In rowing little balance is demanded. 
In tennis a little, but in bicycle work more. 

An acrobat would smile if you proposed to 
give his boy the necessary circulation, digest- 
ive power and nerve control by means of these 
exercises. 

He knows that none of them would prepare 
the boy so well as his own method. Whereas 



176 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

the schools, for lack of a better method, have 
to use these games. 

There is, moreover, in the schools a greater 
difficulty — the lack of time. 

One effective hour a day, five or six days in 
the week, of acrobatic exercises v^ill bring you 
to your object. With these other methods 
used at present three to four hours a day are 
needed for an equal result. 

This is not practical in a school for lack of 
time and because it is most difficult to sustain 
the interest of the boy of 12-16 for so long a 
period. 

To retain it for the time employed, at pres- 
ent the whole machinery of influence and ex- 
ample of the competitive system is required. 

In the amateur acrobatic work I have de- 
scribed, when interest flags, a performance 
with such circus atmosphere as is within the 
compass of the school is sufficient. A simple 
feat described in circus language as the ^'fiery 
hoop of death" will stimulate the boy at once. 
Then it may be said, granting such benefit is 
possible. How can the work be done? A 
school of three hundred boys, giving perhaps 



FOR PARENTS 177 

200 between 12 and 16, would necessarily be 
divided into twenty classes. Four hours only 
may be utilised as school life is at present ar- 
ranged. That would require five competent 
teachers. My answer is that if the benefit is 
as great as I think it is, three times that num- 
ber could in time be provided. 

It is greatly to be desired that a better 
method be found than our present one and I 
hope I have shown that in this way may be ob- 
tained a far superior development and yet be- 
tween 16 and 20 the best of the competitive sys- 
tem may be utilised. 

The professional acrobat would smile again 
if you proposed to him to train his boys as 
boys are trained at any good school. He 
knows the school systems are incompetent; 
that a boy so trained could not earn his liv- 
ing as an acrobat and runs considerable risk 
of irreparable damage when he attempts to 
learn difficult feats. He also knows how to do 
for his boy what was done for him, and he 
proceeds to do it. In competitive athletics a 
start is made the wrong way. The soul is 
moved and then the body is trained to obtain 



178 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

its object, whereas the body should be evenly 
developed before spiritual stimulus is applied. 
The boy is worked up to desire to win a flat 
race. He trains and forces his body to pro- 
duce the necessary speed. Here we encounter 
the difficulty of strain. His body is very lit- 
tle developed and unevenly developed. It is 
easy to injure it at 12-16, demanding effort 
from one set of muscles and nerves out of pro- 
portion to the development of the others. As 
nearly all the training practical in his limited 
time is given to the legs, arms and lungs, there 
is peril of damage to other sets of muscles and 
nerves, say for instance in the digestive tract. 
I think this happens more often than is sup- 
posed. The injury when done is not easily 
located in a growing boy. Every one under 
such circumstances unconsciously conspires to 
conceal it or lay the blame elsewhere. 

Hence in these two theories of athletic train- 
ing which practically cover the field of school 
and college training we are up against great 
difficulties. On the whole the competitive is 
the better system because it trains also the soul 
and therein is much gain. But considered 



FOR PARENTS 179 

from the point of a real, fine, even develop- 
ment of the growing man both are rather ab- 
surd. Drill calisthenics, systematic methods, 
all presently reach the point at which the 
growing man revolts. He detests the whole 
business and ceases to gain more than a very 
little benefit from them. 

Just why this is so I suppose cannot yet be 
clearly explained. Most teachers sooner or 
later reach this conclusion. These exercises 
are successful with the majority only in so far 
as they can interest the soul. In military drill 
something may be done with the aid of uni- 
forms, flags, guns, mass movements, the stimu- 
lation of the attractive side of war, but with 
the other forms very little is attained. 

How does a contagious germ disease begin 
in the boy or girl? 

Children are constantly exposed, as germs 
of disease are everywhere. As long as one is 
in perfect condition the chance for a lodgment 
of germs is much lessened. The student 
should be not only well, but happy, bursting 
with health and the joy of life. Moreover, a 
lowering of condition is apt to be marked by a 



i8o AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

cold which prepares the ground for more 
trouble. But the boy acrobat by his training 
exercises is kept always in perfect condition in 
regard to the two streams and therefore never 
has a cold and never is in shape for germs to 
lodge and flourish. As I have said, he "never 
has anything the matter with him.'' 

It would take an expert bacteriologist, two 
or three in fact, to keep one child from contact 
with germs, so the only practical method of 
fighting disease is to strengthen the defence of 
the body. 

So here we are led right back to the value 
of the training I propose, as more easily main- 
taining perfect condition in the time we have 
than any other I know, for as you go through 
the list of sports you find that all we use have 
their defects. It is quite true that using all 
these the director could obtain an all round re- 
sult and sometimes does, but in this he is gen- 
erally barred by the limit of time. 

The directors know how they are hampered 
in this respect. 

Therefore it is desirable to seek some way 
that in a limited time will do thoroughly what 



FOR PARENTS i8i 

should be done. It is agreed, I presume, that 
it is our duty to try to develop devotion to the 
ideal, valour and constancy in defeat, there- 
fore we are driven to the competitive system in 
the end, but I maintain that this may be put 
oE until after sixteen. By that time the brave 
heart is better able to sustain its burdens and 
by this acrobatic system of training we will 
have constantly aided the heart and the entire 
body to attain a better development. 

I found the popular ideas incorrect that 
acrobats are especially selected children, espe- 
cially endowed or that they are acrobats by in- 
heritance. Undoubtedly the very best, doing 
the most dangerous feats, are of the second or 
more generations, but any kind of an ordinary 
boy can reach a tolerable or good level if prop- 
erly trained. I have observed that their cour- 
age, hardihood, circulation and digestion are 
all far superior to such qualities in boys not 
so trained in the schools. I came to these con- 
clusions after some five or six years' study of 
boy acrobats and later knowledge has con- 
firmed it. Necessarily I have to present these 
conclusions in the form of an opinion, but I 



i82 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

may add that I have studied boys of 12-16 dur- 
ing thirty years and in five countries. 

Practically speaking the school puts the boy 
at a more or less dangerous feat with but little 
training. The acrobat trains him first and 
then sets him at dangerous work. Clearly the 
latter is the better plan. 

I then reached this conclusion: The pro- 
fessional acrobat or trainer has a better system. 
He turns out a boy ready to learn difficult 
feats with a better digestion, circulation, 
muscle control and valour than the same boy 
can attain under the school system ; while mus- 
cular strength is a little better developed. 

A similar training to that by which he pre- 
pares a boy or girl may be substituted for what 
the 12-16 pupil does now in the schools. The 
student of 16 so trained will be more evenly 
developed and hence will do better work after 
16 in competitive athletics. The effect on the 
pupil of improved digestion and circulation 
between 12-16 will be marked. Immunity 
from disease, more solid and hardy bodies may 
be expected, but whether or not better and 
quicker results in getting the boy into college 



FOR PARENTS 183 

may be looked for I do not know. Theoreti- 
cally the boy will do better mental work if he 
has a better digestion. Increased valour and 
endurance he will not obtain from such modi- 
fied acrobatic training, since it is not proposed 
nor is it practical to attempt dangerous tricks 
or prepare to do so. Such qualities he must 
obtain as he does to-day from competitive ath- 
letics. 

To illustrate the force of the charm this sort 
of acrobatic work has for the 12-16 period, 
I might explain that of the five classes I have 
trained at different times and places in none 
have I had the advantage of disciplinary au- 
thority. Attendance has been purely volun- 
tary. Obedience could be enforced only by 
the threat of dropping the boy from the class. 

To any one who knows the changeable na- 
ture of the 12-16 period this I think is a most 
convincing proof of the great value such fas- 
cination has in obtaining steady physical 
drill. 

A child cannot be taught to walk or allowed 
to play without risk of injury. These risks 
are encountered because it is the wiser course 



i84 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

— abstention from them brings about greater 

harm. 

The risk of injury in present systems of 

physical training is understood and is either 

minimised or accepted properly as a part of 

the price. In considering this element of risk 

in a new method the writer decided to apply 

two tests: 

For the elementary system with which this 

book deals, as a standard of comparison, the 
risk of injury to an active boy of same age slid- 
ing down the banisters of a staircase. For 
more advanced work at 14 on, the risk in a 
canoe for a boy who has learned to swim or in 
a football game for a boy who has been well 
taught. 

Everything here given is believed not to ex- 
ceed these standards. Many agreeable and in- 
teresting tricks have been tried and rejected 
solely for that reason. 

This system is recommended emphatically 
for 12-16 for another reason that it is nearly 
impossible to use it during 16-20 unless the 
subject has already been so taught during 
12-16. 



FOR PARENTS 185 

As shown, an imperative need of 12-16 is 
motion which need this plan thoroughly satis- 
fies. Pupils practised five times a week for 
an hour will be found to be in a state of rest 
balance. Other activities will be used and en- 
joyed but there is not that feverish restlessness 
found in the under-exercised. 

It is a combination of directed exercise with 
the spiritual interest that satisfies best and en- 
ables the body to grow along the lines of devel- 
opment most needed later. The muscles are 
developed which permit an erect carriage, ex- 
panded chest, deep breathing, the noble phys- 
ical attitude toward life, fearless and unafraid 
because sufficient oxygen is absorbed to nour- 
ish the soul, if, indeed that is the explanation. 

Such valuation of the noble physical atti- 
tude, the fearless upright pose is not as it 
might appear a sentimental or artistic concep- 
tion. In practical work when attained it will 
constantly prove to be of genuine — sometimes 
of very great value, during the process of turn- 
ing the 12 year old into a hardy, balanced, dis- 
ease proof individual at 20, enduring and 
physically efficient. 



1 86 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

There are many factors to be watched ; one 
may not fix the attention alone on this but 
a balanced body possessing developed deep 
breathing is among the values of the first rank. 
The best in life is for the young in heart, the 
strong, the brave. 

I do not assert that an erect carriage insures 
a courageous soul any more than a college 
course insures an education. 

But it may pov^erfuUy contribute to it and 
in the business of education the v^ise lose no 
chances. 

Let us take for instance a school-boy of 
twelve of what one may call average physical 
endowment. 

His digestion is fair and goes on well if the 
conditions are observed of good well-cooked 
food eaten regularly, and a sufficient supply 
of sugar, warm clothing, baths, dry feet, plenty 
of sleep and good dental work plus a happy 
life. 

Every now and then he has an attack of ca- 
tarrh, occasionally a cold. At times he is ob- 
viously run down; the shadows in the face are 
darker; his nervous system shows instability. 



FOR PARENTS 187 

Interested people think he has been working 
too much, that is studying, and lay it to the 
school. At other times he reacts and is very 
well and vigorous. Should any of the neces- 
sary favourable conditions fail, exercise be 
lacking, ^'there is no one to play with," "this 
place is dead," and so on, he probably ac- 
quires a pathogenic germ and has a serious ill- 
ness from which he may or may not emerge or 
may recover with a permanent defect of some 
kind. Perhaps he swims poorly, is caught in 
an accident and needs for escape every grain of 
fight his soul and body should be capable of, 
but lacking one or two grains, possibly due to 
a backward gland, a tablet records that on a 
certain date "Richard, Beloved son of two 
ignorant people who did not give him the 
training he needed for such an emergency, 
passed to the heavenly mansions." But all 
this is not on the tablet. 

If he scratches through such crises, in due 
time he reaches the 16-20 period into which it 
is not my purpose to follow him, with a foun- 
dation physically and morally for what takes 
place then, which at the best we can only de- 



i88 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

scribe as fair and attended by the assured con- 
viction of his parents and masters that they 
have turned out a good job. 

Let the same lad of twelve fall into the 
hands of a fine professional acrobatic trainer 
such as it has been my privilege to watch. 

After that happens proper mental develop- 
ment for the boy is conspicuously lacking, sen- 
timentalism and sentiment are absent. In an 
atmosphere of rigid exact performance of very 
difficult feats he shortly acquires a perfect 
digestion and circulation. Conditions as to 
food, clothing, regular sleep, are of little im- 
portance because he now has a body that mas- 
ters conditions. Life is happy — fully of inter- 
est. Immune to disease germs he proceeds to 
that complete control of the muscles by the 
brain seen only in a perfect animal, to a hardy 
courage, and a patient endurance, and he en- 
ters upon the 16-20 period as a joyous prince 
into his rightful kingdom of which God made 
him heir, or could so enter if he had the men- 
tal training also, with which the acrobatic 
trainer does not concern himself. 

And a touching figure Richard would make 



FOR PARENTS 189 

at first, for this is a life of exacting specialism, 
grim and Spartan. Unless you can do what 
is required, you are of less than no account. 

No home chorus supplies a rose-coloured 
atmosphere of excuses, praise, pride, interest 
in his least accomplishment. If he cannot do 
the thing, no one cares that ^^he tried so hard," 
"he is so disappointed," "he has been at this 
for so long." A more one-sided life than that 
which Richard leads in a gentle home, but 
with the tremendous advantage that the phys- 
ical foundation which ought to be the first care 
at 12-16 is superbly attended to. 



So my problem has been to prepare a sys- 
tem, as the outcome of the foregoing theory, 
which would do the work of calisthenics, put 
off competitive athletics until after sixteen, 
maintain the vivid interest of the pupil, 
shorten the time required for daily practise; 
do this without using expensive plant, simplify 
the work so that the instructor need not be 
either acrobat or athlete, and devise attractive 
work simulating that of professionals, but 



I90 AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE 

eliminating the risk and the draw-backs of the 
professional life. This has been done, and I 
have had the opportunity to test this system 
five times with classes of six to ten for from 
six to twelve weeks for each class. 

You parents who possess jewels of inestim- 
able value upon whom to lavish your devo- 
tion, what then will you give to assure your 
beloved a more perfect physical equipment for 
the battle of life! 

The price to be paid is an intelligent com- 
prehension of the principles herein set forth, 
and a patient application of these training 
methods. For in the final summing up the 
matter lies in your hands. 



THE END 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



THE following pages contain advertisements of a few 
of the Macmillan books on kindred subjects. 



BEULAH MARIE DIX'S STORY FOR GIRLS 

Blithe McBride 

By BEULAH MARIE DIX 

Author of " A Little Captive Lad," " Soldier Rigdale," Etc. 

With illustrations. Decorated cloth 

Beulah Marie Dix has to her credit a number of book 
characters which are truly loved by youthful readers, but 
it is to be doubted whether any one has a warmer place in 
the heart than will be accorded to little Blithe McBride, the 
heroine of this story. Of her voyage across seas to this coun- 
try, of her courage in saving a little child from drowning, of 
her ingenuity in protecting herself and the babe of whom she 
has charge from the Indians, and of the ultimate reward that 
is meted out to her for her bravery, the author has made a 
most engaging tale and one which recreates to good pur- 
pose the colorful days of the seventeenth century. 

MARGARET ASHMVWS NEW STORY 

Isabel Carleton's Year 

By MARGARET ASHMUN 
Illustrated, ismo, $1.25 

The theme of this story is the school and home life of 

a charming, bright, and very human girl : her ambitions, her 
occupations, her amusements, her sacrifices, and her triumphs. 
The scene is laid in Jefferson, a college town in the Middle 
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teens. 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York 



A "DOG" STORY 

The Key to Betsy's Heart 

By SARAH NOBLE IVES 

Illustrated, cloth, i2mo, $1.25 

This is the story of Betsy and her dog. Betsy is a little 
country girl who, after her mother's death, is taken into the 
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proves to be the key to the shy girl's heart — an extraordinarily 
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Polly Trotter, Patriot 

By ALDEN a. KNIPE and EMILY BENSON KNIPE 

With Illustrations by Mrs. Knipe. 

That a little girl can serve her country in time of trouble 
quite as splendidly as the boys and men of the family is the 
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by the same authors, which was published last year and en- 
joyed great popularity. 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York 



FOR YOUNG READERS 

Master Simon's Garden 

By CORNELIA MEIGS, 

Author of "The Kingdom of the Winding Road," "The Stead- 
fast Princess," etc. 

Every reader who liked The Kingdom of the Winding Road 
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The Three Pearls 

By J. W. FORTESQUE 

With Illustrations 

A fairy story of unusual charm is this, having to do with 
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trations are by Alice B. Woodward. 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York 



TRVE STORIES OF GREAT AMERICANS 

*' Most admirable in their construction and purpose. The volumes are 
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Each volume is attractively bound in decorated cloth covers. Printed on 
good paper and contains six page illustrations in half-tone. Cloth, $.50 

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CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH By ROSSITER JOHNSON 

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ROBERT E.LEE By BRADLEY OILMAN 

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN By DANIEL E. WHEELER 

"It is an excellent book, the author having used good judgment 
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THOMAS A. EDISON By FRANCIS ROLT- WHEELER 

" Cannot fail to appeal to every boy." — The Nation. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN E. LAWRENCE DUDLEY 

" Filled with the adventure that fascinates the boy, the story is still 
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OTHER NEW VOLUMES IN THE SERIES 

GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER 

By F. S. DILLENBAUGH 

WILLIAM PENN By RUPERT S. HOLLAND 

DAVY CROCKETT By WILLIAM C. SPRAGUE 

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS By MILDRED STAPLEY 
JOHN PAUL JONES By L. FRANK TOOKER 

U. S. GRANT By F. E. LOVELL COOMBS 

LA SALLE By LOUISE S. HASBROUCK 

DANIEL BOONE By LUCILE GULLIVER 

LAFAYETTE By MARTHA F. CROW 

GEORGE WASHINGTON By W. H. RIDEING 

OTHER VOLUMES BEING PREPARED 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York 



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